Ellen Nakashima and Lisa Rein report: The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it monitored the personal e-mails of employees who had concerns about unsafe medical devices beginning in April 2010 but said it did so to investigate allegations that the employees had leaked confidential information to the public. The FDA’s statement came in…
Category: U.S.
Department of Homeland Security Disregards Public Comments and Issues Final Rule that Undermines Traveler Privacy Rights
From EPIC.org: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a component within the Department of Homeland Security, issued a final rule approving Global Entry, a traveler screening program, despite the substantial privacy and security risks brought to the agency’s attention. Under the Global Entry program, the CBP collects detailed personal information, including social security numbers and biometric information,…
FBI cuts back on GPS surveillance after Supreme Court ruling
Kevin Johnson reports: The FBI has begun cutting back GPS surveillance in an array of criminal and intelligence investigations following a Supreme Court ruling last month restricting its use, a federal law enforcement official said. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says GPS surveillance is the subject of legal analysis within the intelligence community. The…
Congress Welcomes The Drones
Kashmir Hill writes: The Senate passed a $63 billion bill Monday to provide four years of funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. One of the provisions of the Reauthorization Act is that the FAA clear the path for wider spread use of drones (a.k.a. unmanned aircraft) for governmental and commercial purposes. Within 90 days, the FAA has to speed…