The FBI Kept Tabs on Mort Sahl's Jokes About It, and Hoover Thought Sahl Was a 'Sick Man'
The late standup comedian's FBI file says he "ridiculed the FBI, law enforcement, and high public officials, beyond the bounds of good humor."
FOIA
Do Small Town Cops Need Training in Israeli Counterterror Techniques?
U.S. taxpayers have been paying for training that encourages aggressive policing.
IRS Stole Money and Hid the Details for Years
As law enforcement agencies patrol for profit, the secrecy surrounding cash seizures must stop.
The Feds Spent $22 Million Researching Invisibility Cloaks, UFOs, and a Tunnel Through the Moon
However wonderful it is to imagine a world in which these things are possible, the government shouldn’t be shelling out millions to entertain speculation.
Why Does Border Patrol Need the Ability To Delete Messages?
A lawsuit attempts to find out how federal agents are implementing Wickr, a communications service that has an auto-erase function.
The FBI Is Hiding an Unpublished Police Use-of-Force Database From FOIA Requesters
Three years since it launched, an FBI data collection program on police use-of-force incidents has yet to gain enough participation to release any statistics.
FOIA Advocates Say Biden Administration Is Ignoring Transparency Issues
New administrations usually issue memos on transparency. The Biden administration has ignored calls to do so.
D.C. Cops Conspired to Keep Records From Reporters, Activists, and Critics, Says Lawsuit
Defense lawyer Amy Phillips is suing over what she calls the department's "watchlist policy."
Goodbye and Good Riddance to Bill de Blasio, a Terrible Mayor on Every Issue He Tripped Over
The best thing you could say about Bill de Blasio was that he was good for a laugh.
The Government Let a U.S. Citizen Spend Months in a Foreign Prison for No Good Reason
Amir Meshal was never charged with a crime.
Government Officials' Internet Browsing Histories Are Not Agency Records under FOIA
The D.C. Circuit rejects an effort to obtain internet browsing histories under the Freedom of Information Act
Performative Pandemic Panic
Officials’ cynical manipulation of the public damaged their own credibility as well as the world at large.
The Confusion Surrounding Brian Sicknick's Death Was a Failure of Government Transparency
Blame the media for running anonymous sources, but don't let government off the hook for its secrecy and misinformation.
RIP Mark Schlefer, the Man Who Made FOIA Happen
"In the drafting, we were adamant that you didn't have to have an interest to have access. You could just be a citizen."
I Asked for Public Records on a Fatal Police Shooting. Then a Washington Sheriff's Office Sued Me.
The move is similar to what's known as a "reverse FOIA" lawsuit, which forces the requester to go to court to defend his right to access public records.
CBP Official Allegedly Said Agents Should 'Beat That Tonk Like a Piñata Until Candy Comes Out'
The 2012 internal affairs report complaint was filed by a use-of-force instructor who warned the advice could lead to lawsuits.
A Federal Judge Says William Barr's Spin on the Mueller Report Makes the Attorney General Untrustworthy
Were the Justice Department's redactions influenced by Barr's desire to exonerate the president?
Fed Scientists Filmed Themselves Giving Monkeys Brain Damage. A Watchdog Group Wants the Footage.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health reportedly damaged monkeys' brains with acid before showing them pictures of fruit.
Is the FBI Snooping on Political Groups and Ideological Publications?
The Cato Institute wants Congress to investigate the FBI after it refused to confirm or deny the existence of files on dozens of political advocacy groups.
Expect More Government Secrecy in Business Relationships, Thanks to Supreme Court
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling expanded when the government can keep business records secret. That's bad news for transparency
In Deadly Drug Raid Case, a Texas County Refuses to Release Information It Has Already Released
Contradictory responses to a request for autopsy reports illustrate how law enforcement agencies take advantage of a broad exception to the state's public records law.
Are Food-Stamp Receipts Beyond the Reach of FOIA? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Today
Plus: Violence in Sri Lanka leads to social media suppression, and the White House wants to make it harder for pretrial diversion participants to get government jobs.
You Can't Use FOIA to Get Someone's Tax Returns
A court rejects a clever effort to obtain President Trump's tax records
The Sorry State of FOIA
More than 50 years later, it is a wheezing, arthritic artifact of more optimistic times.
Watchdog Sues to Expose Secret Government Kitten Killing
Thousands of cats have been killed over 50 years of experiments. Why is the USDA denying feline fatality FOIA requests?
Oops! The EPA Published the Social Security Numbers of People Who Filed FOIA Requests
Thanks to a design bug in a government transparency website, dozens of social security numbers were mistakenly made public.
Police Can Refuse to Say Whether Records Exist, New York's Highest Court Rules
In a case brought by two Muslim men seeking surveillance records on themselves, the court approves the NYPD's "neither confirm nor deny" response.
D.C.'s Cache of Seized Illegal Guns Has Antique Rifles and Paintball Guns, But Few Bump-Stock-Compatible Weapons
I sent a FOIA request to the lab that processes guns seized by police in the nation's capital. Here's what I found out.
319 NYPD Officers Committed Fireable Offenses But Kept Their Jobs
Cops got probation even after internal tribunal found them guilty of excessive force, sexual harassment, and ticket-fixing
Pittsburgh Tried to Hide Its Amazon Proposal by Claiming It Was a 'Trade Secret'
What trade would that be, exactly?
Where Are All the FBI's Files on Dungeons & Dragons?
How a silly record request revealed a deeper problem with FBI transparency.
D&D Creator Gary Gygax's FBI Records Make Him Sound Like a Badass
"He is known to be a member of the Libertarian Party."
California High Court Rules Public Records Remain Public on Private Email
Government officials cannot skirt public records laws by using private email accounts.
Feds Blame 'Self-Styled FOIA Terrorist' for Their Own Stonewalling
Journalists shouldn't have to sue to get public information.
Scott Pruitt Emails Reveal He Consulted with Industry About Regulations
Another tiresome example of selective political outrage ensues.
'The Most Transparent Administration in History'
A campaign promise becomes a punchline.
Border Patrol and IRS Sued for Stonewalling FOIA Requests on Asset Forfeiture
IRS charges nonprofit $750K to see FOIA records on asset forfeiture.
Top 10 Things We Learned From Hillary Clinton Campaign's Emails
Between the WikiLeaks revelations, FOIA requests, and FBI investigation, there are important details among the noise.
Government Creates a Fake Expert, Won't Release Files on Him Because Privacy
In search of Guy Sims Fitch
Media Outlets Sue for Details on San Bernardino Terrorist IPhone Hack
FBI refuses to publicly reveal security vulnerability.
Journalist Angers Judge With Open Records Request, Gets Charged With Felonies
"I don't react well when my honesty is questioned," Judge Brenda Weaver says.
Secretive National Security Letters Can Help FBI More Easily Snoop on Journalists
It's not about fighting terrorism; it's about finding leakers.
Will We Ever Truly Know the Extent of CIA Torture During the War on Terror?
Copy of Senate report 'mistakenly' gets destroyed as government successfully resists release.
RICO Climate Alarmists FOIA Emails Released
How the letter urging a RICO investigation of groups dissenting from the climate consensus was concocted
