Why we're suing the CIA

#1

Post by morisy » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 10:10 PM UTC

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#2

Post by jacquesm » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 10:28 PM UTC

Recursive FOIA requests. Very neat :) Breadth first or depth first is going to be their main problem. The plus for the government is that if they lose a document they now have an off-site backup. Presumably the CIA is not playing ball because they have their own backups.

What a fantastic project.

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#3

Post by ChuckMcM » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 10:38 PM UTC

I really appreciate these guys following through with this. I've benefited from the information they have set free. That we have to pull it kicking and screaming out of the bureaucracies is sad.

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#4

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 10:43 PM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #3

I really appreciate these guys following through with this. I've benefited from the information they have set free. That we have to pull it kicking and screaming out of the bureaucracies is sad.

[deleted]

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#5

Post by SandersAK » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 10:43 PM UTC

Love these guys! They're doing a Beacon crowdfunding project as we speak - help em' out! http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-spy-in-your-pocket

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#6

Post by zmitri » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 10:54 PM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #3

I really appreciate these guys following through with this. I've benefited from the information they have set free. That we have to pull it kicking and screaming out of the bureaucracies is sad.

Not only that, it costs them money and lawyer fees each time.

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#7

Post by Mizza » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 11:01 PM UTC

Yeah MuckRock! Get 'em!

I use MuckRock to FOIA the CIA quite often, and they are probably the third-worst agency to deal with (behind the NSA and the US State Department). They don't even accept FOIA requests via email!

Hopefully, this will lubricate them a little bit.

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#8

Post by frandroid » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 11:34 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #2

Recursive FOIA requests. Very neat :) Breadth first or depth first is going to be their main problem. The plus for the government is that if they lose a document they now have an off-site backup. Presumably the CIA is not playing ball because they have their own backups. What a fantastic project.

In Canada, similar requests had partially liberated the information contained in the Coordination of Access to Information Requests System that the Federal Government used to centrally manage ATI requests (our FOIA), so that people could do this kind of recursive research. The Conservatives disbanded the database in 2008 in order to remove this resource from being the target of ATI requests, and make it harder to get information to the public.

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#9

Post by te_platt » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 11:37 PM UTC

As bad as governmental abuses can be in the U.S. I find it somewhat comforting that suing the CIA doesn't mean some people are going to start disappearing. I'm guessing not too many Russians sued the KGB.

Re: Why we're suing the CIA

#10

Post by pdevr » Wed, Jun 11, 2014, 11:56 PM UTC

te_platt wrote: post #9

As bad as governmental abuses can be in the U.S. I find it somewhat comforting that suing the CIA doesn't mean some people are going to start disappearing. I'm guessing not too many Russians sued the KGB.

Also, the fact that you have the freedom to discuss and criticize CIA on a public forum.

A strong democracy's pros outweigh its cons by a large margin - almost always.