Comments on: DHS scrambles to cover up FOIA scandal

By: Papers, Please! » Blog Archive » European Commission wants to immunize DHS collaborators in travel surveillance and control

Sat, 28 May 2011 12:47:04 +0000

[...] controlled by the DHS itself, has no independence, and is the subject of an ongoing scandal and attempted cover-up involving political interference with requests — including ours — for DHS records. The [...]

By: Papers, Please! » Blog Archive » DHS Privacy Office ordered TSA not to answer our FOIA request

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:29:19 +0000

[...] posted online by the DHS in response to one of our FOIA requests confirm that, as we suspected, DHS headquarters has been illegally blocking release of documents we have requested, and to which [...]

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:16:10 +0000

Agencies have been skirting requests via “time limit” on record retention as shown in this example http://foiaarchive.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/denial.pdf of a request to the USDA APHIS division for documentation. In todays era of electronic document storage, I don’t think there is a valid reason for “time limits”.

By: friism

friism — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:07:57 +0000

@BlackHat ‘FOIA’ is ‘Freedom Of Information Act’: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act_(United_States)

By: danboarder

danboarder — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 07:22:25 +0000

@BlackHat: FOIA = Freedom Of Information Act

By: S Prime

S Prime — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:34:18 +0000

FOIA = Freedom of Information Act.

It’s a law which requires government agencies to turn over documents in their control that aren’t classified or exempt for other reasons when those documents are demanded by some citizen following the provisions of the law.

In short, it gives people a way to force government agencies to be a bit more transparent and is probably one of the best laws we have on the books right now for keeping politicians accountable.

By: RiZenB

RiZenB — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:33:08 +0000

I’m sure the mainstream media is talking about this nonstop.
(I know I know, you could say that about any story that portrays our lovely rulers as anything but lovely.)
I wouldn’t be too surprised if this actually compels them to revise the FOIA altogether. A nip here, a tuck there, trim out all that nasty business about revealing information and accountability.
Something about foreign intelligence agencies making requests via citizens or something similar. We might just have to repeal the FOIA until someone can draft a new version.
Give it a few weeks, and it’ll be the ‘thing to fear of the hour’ for a day or two. “Terrible intel leaks via FOIA, somehow.”

PS: =P
PPS: Good Luck

By: Black Hat

Black Hat — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:10:36 +0000

Just one question. What does FOIA stand for?