Posts Tagged government

EPIC Files Appeal for NSA Policy on Network Surveillance

Today, EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act appeal,
seeking disclosure of NPSD 54, the classified Directive that
describes a National Security Agency program to monitor American
computer networks. EPIC submitted the original request to shed light
on the extent of the federal government’s surveillance of civilian
computer systems, but the agency refused to disclose the document.
EPIC’s appeal warns that [...]

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Color-Coded Threat Level Advisory Under Attack

The often-spoofed, color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System may get an overhaul – moving from five colors to three in a bid to win the public trust.
The nation has been at Yellow, “an elevated significant risk of terrorist attacks” for three years. International and domestic flights have been at an Orange “high risk of terrorist attacks” [...]

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Obama Backs Extending Patriot Act Spy Provisions

The Obama administration has told Congress it supports renewing three provisions of the Patriot Act due to expire at year’s end, measures making it easier for the government to spy within the United States.
In a letter to Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department said the [...]

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Antitrust Concerns Swirl Around Sale of Diebold Voting Machines

Sen. Charles Schumer asked the Justice Department’s antitrust division on Monday to investigate the recent sale of Diebold’s voting machines division to a competitor, saying the deal raises anti-competitiveness concerns and has “adverse implications on how our country votes.”
The letter comes just days after another voting machine company filed an anti-trust lawsuit in federal court [...]

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Intelligence Analyst Charged With Hacking Top Secret, Anti-Terror Program

An analyst at a Defense Department spy satellite agency faces federal hacking charges after allegedly poking around in a top-secret system used in a classified terrorism investigation involving the FBI and the U.S. Army.
Brian Keith Montgomery worked on a covert program for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency — the spy agency in charge of satellite and [...]

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CDT: Technology Can Provide Needed Transparency for Government Programs

CDT told a congressional panel today that providing the public with direct, online access to complex government programs, such as TARP, would strengthen oversight. Media, watchdog groups, researchers and citizens could then better analyze the data for a wide variety of purposes. CDT asked the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to ensure that [...]

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