EPIC Endorses “Shadow Report” on Maine Fusion Center

A group of activists in Maine released a shadow report on the Maine Information Analysis Center (MIAC), and called for a meaningful independent audit of the center. Last year Maine’s legislature nearly voted to close the MIAC and opted instead to require a privacy audit, though critics argue that an audit by the MIAC’s advisory board will be biased and is inadequate to address a series of scandals at the fusion center over the last two years. 

The shadow report “documents a series of problems and concerns posed by the MIAC:  organizational dysfunction, a hyper-focus on property and drug crimes, bias and disinformation in intelligence bulletins, conflicts of interest in its oversight, violations of individual privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, questions about MIAC’s information systems and analytic capabilities, and concerns about its impact on vulnerable populations.” EPIC endorsed the report. In recent years, EPIC has urged the Department of Homeland security to investigate fusion centers.