Entries tagged with: Department of Homeland Security
29 result(s) displayed.
EPIC Succeeds in Fight Against Protective Order in FOIA Case
A federal judge has vacated provisions in a prior order that would have limited the ability of FOIA requesters to disseminate information to the public. EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security after...
DHS Privacy Review Fails to Address DHS Monitoring of Online Dissent
The Department of Homeland Security released a Privacy Compliance Review which found that the DHS social media monitoring program complied the DHS's own privacy requirements. Documents obtained by EPIC through a FOIA lawsuit revealed that DHS is monitoring social networks...
Department of Homeland Security Releases 2012 Privacy Report
The Department of Homeland Security released the 2012 Privacy Office Annual Report to Congress. The report describes a social media monitoring policy, and privacy training for fusion centers personnel. According to the report, the TSA has still failed to adopt...
Department of Homeland Security Limits E-Verify Data and Disclosures
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a Privacy Act system of records notice for the E-Verify Program. E-Verify is a government records system that informs employers about the citizenship status of current and prospective employees. The database contains detailed...
Homeland Security Seeks to Expand "Risk-Based" Profiles
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed to exempt its "Automated Targeting System" from certain Privacy Act provisions. The Automated Targeting System creates "risk-based" profiles of individuals traveling to, from, and throughout the United States. The profile contains a plethora...
Department of Homeland Security Expands Use of Watch Lists for "Known Traveler" Program
The Department of Homeland Security has published a Privacy Impact Assessment Update for Secure Flight, a DHS program that compares airline passenger records with various watch lists. The assessment describes the agency's plans to expand the Known Traveler program so...
DHS Privacy Office Issues Quarterly Report to Congress
The DHS Privacy Office has issued its First Quarter Fiscal Year 2012 Report to Congress. The report details DHS programs and functions that affect privacy, such as privacy impact assessments and system of records notices. The report also summarizes the...
House and Senate Call for Investigation on Airport Body Scanner Radiation Risks
Both the House and the Senate introduced bills last month that would require the Department of Homeland Security "to contract with an independent laboratory to study the health effects of backscatter x-ray machines used at airline checkpoints operated by the...
EPIC Publishes 2012 FOIA Gallery
In celebration of Sunshine Week, EPIC published the EPIC FOIA Gallery: 2012. The gallery highlights key documents obtained by EPIC in the past year, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's watch list guidelines, records of the Department of Homeland Security's...
Video, Blog Post Raise New Questions About Airport Body Scanners
A popular video "How To Get Anything Through TSA Nude Body Scanners" show that it is easy to bypass airport body scanners by hiding materials perpendicular to the plane of the scanning devices. The video also notes that traditional metal...
EPIC Obtains New Documents on DHS Media Monitoring, Urges Congress to Suspend Program
EPIC has submitted a letter to Congress following a hearing on DHS monitoring of social networks and media organizations. In the letter, EPIC highlights new documents obtained as a result of a FOIA lawsuit and points out to inconsistencies in...
2013 Federal Budget Limits Body Scanners, But Expands Domestic Surveillance
According to White House budget documents and the Congressional Testimony of Secretary Napolitano, DHS will not purchase any new airport body scanners in 2013. However, the agency will expand a wide range of programs for monitoring and tracking individuals within...
EPIC Asks Congress to Suspend DHS Social Network Monitoring Program
In a Statement for the Record, EPIC has asked the House Committee on Homeland Security to suspend a DHS program that has permitted the agency to gather comments critical of the agency and the government by monitoring social networks and...
Congress to Hold Hearing on Department of Homeland Security Social Network Monitoring
On February 16, 2012, the House Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing on "DHS Monitoring of Social Networking and Media: Enhancing Intelligence Gathering and Ensuring Privacy." The hearing was called after EPIC obtained nearly 300 pages of documents,...
DHS Memo Reveals Plan to Impose "Secure Communities" on All States
According to a draft memo, the Department of Homeland Security intends to require that all states comply with the agency's "Secure Communities" program by 2013. Secure communities is a controversial deportation program that relies on extensive data collection and biometric...
EPIC Warns DHS: Plan to Release Personal Data Held by Agency is Unlawful
EPIC has submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security, objecting to the agency's plan to disclose internal agency records to former DHS employees, third party employers, and foreign and international agencies. DHS plans to disclose criminal conviction records, employee...
EPIC Sues DHS Over Covert Surveillance of Facebook and Twitter
EPIC has filed a Freedom of information Act lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security to force disclosure of the details of the agency's social network monitoring program. In news reports and a Federal Register notice, the DHS has stated...
EPIC to DHS: Proposed Expansion of "Routine Use" Exception is Unlawful
In comments to the Department of Homeland Security regarding a proposal to expand the Privacy Act "routine use" exemption, EPIC has said that the agency is exceeding its legal authority. The DHS is seeking to disclose information about current and...
E-Verify and Privacy
News | Background | E-Verify Risks | Policy Pages | EPIC on E-Verify | Legal and Legislation | Articles | Resources Latest News : () Background The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 ("IRCA") made it illegal for...
Congressional Watchdog: DHS Data Mining Programs Pose Risk to Privacy
The Government Accountability Office has performed a detailed evaluation of data mining practices at the Department of Homeland Security. According to the report, privacy protections and transparency are vital to data mining operation, however the Department's practices did not "adequately...
