Fawn Johnson reports: Sen. John McCain said Tuesday that he has more sympathy for federal investigators than privacy advocates when it comes to internet surveillance. The Arizona Republican is the lead sponsor of an amendment that would allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to easily obtain non-content electronic communication transaction records to investigate suspected terrorists. The vote…
Category: Govt
Tech Companies Fight Back After Years of Being Deluged With Secret FBI Requests
Jenna McLaughlin reports: The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and technology and internet companies have been waging a little-known war for years over how much information companies are obligated to hand over about customers during national security investigations — absent a court order. In early June, when Yahoo disclosed three secret government requests…
EPIC Scrutinizes DoD “Insider Threat” Database
From EPIC.org: In comments to the Department of Defense, EPIC criticized a proposed “Insider Threat” database that would gather virtually unlimited amounts of personal data on individuals based on broad and ambiguous standards. EPIC urged DoD to limit the scope of data collection and drop proposed Privacy Act exemptions. Citing the recent surge in government data breaches, including the breach of 21.5 m records at…
FEMA Mishandles Sensitive Information at Disaster Sites: IG Report
Jack Moore reports: After a wildfire tears through your community, the last thing you may be worried about is having your identity stolen or your personal information breached. But maybe you should be. A new inspector general report finds the Federal Emergency Management Agency still struggles to properly handle the safeguarding of personally identifiable information,…