Security and Secrecy

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Congress Seeks to Limit National Security Letter Powers

On March 30, Congress took its first step toward reforming the USA PATRIOT Act when Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced the National Security Letters Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 1800). The bill is designed to narrow the powers granted to the executive branch under the National Security Letter (NSL) provision of the Patriot Act. Public interest advocates contend that the NSL is only one component of the Patriot Act in need of reform.

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Sunshine Illuminates More Bush-era OLC Memos

On March 2, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a set of previously classified memoranda from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). OLC produced the documents for senior members of the George W. Bush administration. The release is yet another step in the Obama administration's implementation of its commitment to transparency.

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Cybersecurity Czar Calls it Quits

Mar 6, 2009 by Roger Strother*

The “Czar” of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) secretive National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC), Rod Beckstrom, submitted his resignation to Secretary Janet Napolitano on March 5. Beckstrom’s letter illuminates several key problems in the program that have resulted from bureaucratic infighting.

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OLC Nominee Grilled on Torture

Feb 27, 2009 by Chris George*

On Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee held its confirmation hearing for Dawn Johnsen, nominee to head the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at the Department of Justice. The Senators had some pointed questions for Johnsen about the secrecy of OLC opinions.

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State Secrets Legislation Introduced on the Heels of Sensitive Court Decision

During the week of Feb. 9, the Obama administration invoked the state secrets privilege in a sensitive legal case. The decision has led some groups to question if President Barack Obama is breaking from the Bush administration's interrogation and intelligence policies as promised, or if he intends to continue existing practices. Meanwhile, both houses of Congress are considering legislation (H.R. 984 and S. 417) to narrow the interpretation of the largely undefined privilege created by case law.

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New Director of National Intelligence Promotes Smarter Classification

During his recent confirmation hearing, Admiral Dennis Blair, the new Director of National Intelligence (DNI), derided the current classification system, which promotes over-classification of intelligence-related information. He discussed the need for a cultural change in the intelligence dissemination process that includes new training for analysts and greater accountability.

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House Passes Bill to Improve Information Sharing with First Responders

Feb 4, 2009 by Roger Strother*

On Tuesday, the House passed the Reducing Over-Classification Act of 2009 (H.R. 553). The legislation details steps the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must take to share intelligence with state, local, and tribal agencies.

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Justice Nominee May Bring Sunlight to Office of Legal Counsel

On Jan. 5, President-elect Obama nominated Dawn Johnsen as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Johnsen has written articles advocating for restrained executive power and increased government transparency, in particular at OLC. The office issued several secret and controversial opinions during the Bush administration.

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Court Rules CIA Can Keep Any Secret It Wants

On Oct. 29, a federal court refused to examine statements made by Guantanamo Bay detainees during their tribunals; the statements were redacted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The statements, which reportedly contain allegations of torture committed against the detainees while they were in U.S. custody, come at a time when the British government is seeking to investigate the treatment of one of its own residents held at the detention facility.

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Telecom Surveillance to Receive Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that cooperated with the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless surveillance program, utilizing power granted in the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.

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