emma_goldman
25th October 2006, 19:22
FBI Withholds Records on Tools to Intercept Personal
Communications
Washington, D.C. - The FLAG Project of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed its first lawsuit against
the Department of Justice last week after the FBI failed to
respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for
records concerning DCS-3000 and Red Hook -- tools the FBI
has spent millions of dollars developing for electronic
surveillance.
DCS-3000 is an interception system that apparently evolved
out of "Carnivore," a controversial surveillance system the
FBI used several years ago to monitor online traffic through
Internet service providers. One Department of Justice report
said DCS-3000 was developed to "intercept personal
communication services delivered via emerging digital
technologies" and that it was used "as carriers continue to
introduce new features and services." According to the same
report, Red Hook is a system to "collect voice and data
calls and then process and display the intercepted
information."
The FLAG Project first filed its FOIA request for
information about the surveillance systems on August 11,
2006. The FBI acknowledged receipt of the request, but the
agency has not responded within the time limit required by
law.
"Recent allegations of domestic spying by the U.S.
government already have both lawmakers and the general
public up in arms. Americans have a right to know whether
the FBI is using new technology to further violate their
privacy," said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "The
Department of Justice needs to abide by the law and publicly
release information about these surveillance tools."
EFF's FLAG Project, launched last month, uses FOIA requests
and litigation to expose the government's expanding use of
technologies that invade privacy.
"Transparency is critical to the functioning of our
democracy, especially when the government seeks to hide
activities that affect the rights of citizens," explained
EFF Senior Counsel David Sobel, who directs the FLAG
Project. "We have recently seen numerous instances where
federal agencies have sought to conceal surveillance
activities that raise serious legal issues."
For the full FOIA suit filed against the Department of
Justice:
<http://www.eff.org/flag/dcs/dcs_complaint.pdf>
Communications
Washington, D.C. - The FLAG Project of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed its first lawsuit against
the Department of Justice last week after the FBI failed to
respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for
records concerning DCS-3000 and Red Hook -- tools the FBI
has spent millions of dollars developing for electronic
surveillance.
DCS-3000 is an interception system that apparently evolved
out of "Carnivore," a controversial surveillance system the
FBI used several years ago to monitor online traffic through
Internet service providers. One Department of Justice report
said DCS-3000 was developed to "intercept personal
communication services delivered via emerging digital
technologies" and that it was used "as carriers continue to
introduce new features and services." According to the same
report, Red Hook is a system to "collect voice and data
calls and then process and display the intercepted
information."
The FLAG Project first filed its FOIA request for
information about the surveillance systems on August 11,
2006. The FBI acknowledged receipt of the request, but the
agency has not responded within the time limit required by
law.
"Recent allegations of domestic spying by the U.S.
government already have both lawmakers and the general
public up in arms. Americans have a right to know whether
the FBI is using new technology to further violate their
privacy," said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "The
Department of Justice needs to abide by the law and publicly
release information about these surveillance tools."
EFF's FLAG Project, launched last month, uses FOIA requests
and litigation to expose the government's expanding use of
technologies that invade privacy.
"Transparency is critical to the functioning of our
democracy, especially when the government seeks to hide
activities that affect the rights of citizens," explained
EFF Senior Counsel David Sobel, who directs the FLAG
Project. "We have recently seen numerous instances where
federal agencies have sought to conceal surveillance
activities that raise serious legal issues."
For the full FOIA suit filed against the Department of
Justice:
<http://www.eff.org/flag/dcs/dcs_complaint.pdf>