When our government starts exempting itself from disclosure, it’s time to be concerned. EPIC reports: The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule exempting its Operations System from various Privacy Act safeguards, including provisions that permit individuals to access information about them held by the agency. The system “fuses” information from many sources which the agency uses for investigatory…
Category: Govt
EPIC.org: FAA Revises Drone License Procedures, Privacy Petition Still Pending
From EPIC.org: The Federal Aviation Administration has announced new procedures for government agencies that operate drones in the United States. The procedures will streamline the process through which government agencies, including local law enforcement, receive drone licenses. However, the FAA has so far failed to establish privacy safeguards for drone use. On February 24, 2012, EPIC, joined…
Few Companies Fight Patriot Act Gag Orders, FBI Admits
Kim Zetter reports: Since the Patriot Act broadly expanded the power of the government to issue National Security Letters demanding customer records, more than 200,000 have been issued to U.S. companies by the FBI. But the perpetual gag orders that accompany them are rarely challenged by the ISPs and other recipients served with such letters….
Senate Commerce Committee Holds Hearing on Privacy Reports
Dan Kahn of Covington & Burling has a concise recap of a Senate hearing today on privacy: Today, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing to seek the views of the Federal Trade Commission and the Administration on privacy issues. Discussion at the hearing, entitled “The Need for Privacy Protections: Perspectives from the…