Entries tagged with: open government
90 result(s) displayed.
EPIC Seeks Documents on Government's Authority to Search Journalists' Email
EPIC has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, seeking documents explaining the DOJ's legal authority to search the electronic communications of reporters. Following news reports that the DOJ seized the...
On Proposed Trade Agreement, EPIC Says Keep Privacy Off the Table
EPIC has submitted comments to the U.S. Trade Representative addressing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a proposed trade agreement between the US and the European Union. In its comments, EPIC recommended that the TTIP negotiations exclude consumer privacy and...
White House Launches Open Data Project
The President issued an Executive Order and memorandum this week outlining the administration's new "Open Data Policy." According to the White House, the goal is to make information "accessible, discoverable, and usable by the public" and to "promote interoperability and...
EPIC Pursues Public Release of Facebook and MySpace Privacy Reports
EPIC has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests for the release of the privacy assessments of Facebook and MySpace submitted to the Federal Trade Commission. As a result of privacy violations, both companies are required to implement comprehensive privacy programs...
EPIC Files Amicus Brief, Urges Disclosure of Secret Legal Memos
EPIC, joined by seven open government organizations, has filed a "friend of the court" brief urging a federal appeals court to order the government to disclose the legal authority for drone strikes. The case, New York Times v. Department of...
EPIC Comments on FTC's FOIA Procedures
EPIC has submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission, supporting several of the agency's changes to its FOIA regulations. EPIC applauded the agency for reducing fees for requesters. EPIC also urged the Committee to: (1) update its definition for news...
Federal Appeals Court Rules that Government Agencies Must Make an Actual "Determination" in Response to FOIA Requests
The D.C. Circuit Court reversed a lower court decision and sided with the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in a case concerning an agency's obligation to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request. CREW argued that the...
EPIC Sues Education Department, Seeks Documents about Debt Collectors and Student Privacy
EPIC has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Education Department, following the agency's failure to release documents about private debt collection and compliance with federal privacy law. The Department has contracts with at least twenty-three private debt...
EPIC Publishes 2013 FOIA Gallery, Highlights Documents Obtained Under Open Government Law
In celebration of Sunshine Week, EPIC has published the 2013 EPIC FOIA Gallery. The gallery highlights key documents obtained by EPIC in the past year, such as previously secret documents about cell phone traffic monitoring, domestic drones that identify human...
EPIC Sues DHS for Information about "Internet Kill Switch"
EPIC has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, following the agency's failure to produce any documents about the "Emergency Wireless Protocols," (Standard Operating Procedure 303 or "SOP 303"). SOP 303 describes the process...
EPIC Thanks Congress for FOIA Oversight, Calls for Renewed Attention to Transparency
EPIC, along with more than 40 transparency organizations, thanked the House Committee on Oversight for sending a letter to the Department of Justice about the importance of the Freedom of Information Act. The open government organizations said "outdated FOIA regulations,...
EPIC Challenges Secret Statute in Open Government Case
EPIC has opposed the Department of Justice's reliance on secret legal authority in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. In EPIC v. DOJ et. al, EPIC is seeking information about government surveillance of individuals who have exercised their First Amendment...
Congress Challenges Justice Department Commitment to Open Government
In a letter to the director of the Office of Information Policy, a Congressional oversight committee has asked a series of question, challenging the government's compliance with the FOIA. The Office of Information Policy is tasked with "encouraging agency compliance...
FTC Denies White House Involvement in Decision to Close Google Investigation
In response to a FOIA request filed by EPIC, the Federal Trade Commission has stated that there are no records of "communications . . . between the White House and the FTC regarding the Commission's antitrust inquiry into Google." In...
Senator Leahy Sets Out Judiciary Committee Agenda for New Congress
On January 16, 2013, Georgetown University Law School hosted Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy set out the agenda of the Judiciary Committee in the 113th Congress, vowing to commit the Committee to addressing...
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...
Interior Department Issues Revised FOIA Regulations, Addresses Some Open Government Concerns
The Interior Department has issued a final rule amending its FOIA regulations. In November 2012, EPIC submitted comments regarding the agency's proposed amendments, urging the Interior Department not to weaken the FOIA as it had proposed. The final rule incorporates...
EPIC Sues CIA for Details of NYPD Spying
EPIC has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency for details of the agency’s involvement in a New York Police Department surveillance program that targeted Muslims and persons of Arab descent. In August 2011, the...
EPIC to Department of Defense: Maintain Strong Open Government Rules
EPIC has submitted extensive comments to the Defense Logistics Agency, an agency component within the Department of Defense, opposing changes to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The agency's proposals will substantially alter the Defense Logistics Agency FOIA Program, and...
EPIC Urges the Interior Department to Preserve Strong Open Government Rules
In comments the Department of the Interior, EPIC has urged the federal agency not to weaken the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) as it has proposed. The Interior Department is considering regulations that would place new burdens on FOIA requesters...
