The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has received documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that provide details on FBI and Justice Department policies, which appear to suggest the federal authorities can read emails without obtaining a warrant. The FBI provided a copy of a 2012 Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide [...]

(update below) During the press conference after Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was arrested and taken to a hospital seriously injured, FBI Special Agent in Charge Rick Deslauriers told reporters the communities of Boston, Cambridge, Watertown and other cities could “breathe a sigh of relief knowing” there was “no longer a threat to our personal [...]

A federal appeals court in Washington, DC, rebuffed a clear attempt by the United States Justice Department to further pervert the Freedom of Information Act process. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sued the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on May 24, 2011, when it failed to produce documents on individuals at the FEC, [...]

A legal group of criminal defense attorneys has formed to combat what they describe as the FBI and Justice Department’s use of harassment and over-prosecution to chill and silence those who engage in journalism, Internet activism or dissent. The group, the Whistleblower Defense League, will, according to attorney Jason Flores-Williams, defend individuals engaged in investigating [...]

One week before John Brennan assumed office as CIA director, a woman was put in charge of the CIA’s clandestine service. It was the first time in the history of the agency that a female officer was running the agency. But, according to the Washington Post, the officer was one of two CIA officers, who signed [...]

Following Pfc. Bradley Manning’s statement in court, Justice Department whistleblower Jesselyn Radack shares her reaction to the statement and thoughts on his case. She addresses whether Manning is a whistleblower and considers the prosecution she went through, along with her work at the Government Accountability Project representing whistleblowers. *** According to the regular Whistleblower Protection [...]

In a column recently published by POLITICO, Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist and American Civil Liberties Union’s Laura Murphy write, “In the age of the Internet, your privacy is not Fourth Amendment safe. Government agents cannot tap your phone without a warrant issued by a judge based on some indication you are involved in wrongdoing, [...]

Before his sentencing hearing, Andrew Auernheimer, who was convicted on one of charge of conspiracy under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and one charge of fraud involving personal information, declared in a statement that he was going to jail for “arithmetic.” Twenty-six year-old security researcher, known as “Weev,” was sentenced to forty-one months [...]

The notion that any presidential administration or Executive Branch agency can keep secret official interpretations of the law is indefensible. A few members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives understand this and are pushing to find out information about President Barack Obama’s targeted killing program that the public has a right to [...]

A government-wide audit done by the independent non-governmental National Security Archive indicates a majority of federal agencies have not updated their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations to comply with legislation, which became law in 2007, or President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder’s policy changes in 2009. Thomas Blanton, the director of the [...]