Assignment Editors and Journalists: If there is any way we can help you with a story, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Edward Hasbrouck The Identity Project PO Box 170640-idp San Francisco, CA 94117-0640 info AT papersplease DOT org +1 (415) 824-0214 mobile (voice/Signal; press calls only, no marketing or robocalls) We work remotely, and […]
[A “complete” response from DHS to a FOIA request, with “no deletions”. Click image for larger version.] A Freedom of Information Act request we made to the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t told us much about what we asked about, but has given us an object lesson in how the DHS practices “transparency”. An August […]
Until recently, the TSA has been a domestic legal Guantanamo, and the TSA has treated their domain of “checkpoints” and travel control and surveillance as a law-free zone where their powers of search, seizure, detention, and denial of passage were unconstrained by the Constitution, human rights treaties, judicial review, or stautory or regulatory standards. As […]
In researching the law on the right to travel to obtain an abortion, we were pleased to notice an advisory opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) that, although only in passing, explicitly acknowledges the right to travel. OLC is the division of the US Department of Justice that serves as the office legal […]
In the latest escalation of surveillance of travelers, data from automated license plate readers (APLRs) is being merged with data from devices that record the unique identifiers of passing WiFi, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices, including always-on devices intended for in-vehicle communications, entertainment, and network access. Most new cars, SUVs, and light trucks […]
As the number of women traveling across state lines to obtain abortions continues to grow (analysis of trends, statistics and map), recent reports have confirmed the reality of some of the ways we feared that motorists traveling for these or other purposes can be identified and tracked. The ACLU of Northern California and Bob Egelko […]
It’s sometimes hard to say which Federal agency does the worst job or displays the most bad faith in responding (or not responding) to Freedom Of Information Act requests. But the latest actions by the FOIA office of the Department of State certainly place near the top of our all-time scorecard of FOIA follies. In […]
Today the Identity Project submitted our comments to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on the TSA’s proposed rules for “mobile driver’s licenses”. The term “mobile driver’s license” is highly misleading. The model Electronic Credential Act drafted by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) to authorize the issuance of these digital credentials and installation […]
Last week 404 Media published a report by Joseph Cox on how the New York Metropolitan Transit Agency’s website can be used as a remote stalking tool: anyone who knows a credit card number that was used to purchase or add value to an OMNY transit farecard could view a historical log of the last […]
Most people think of communications between attorneys and their clients as being among those having the highest level of legal “privilege” against compelled disclosure to the government. And it is widely believed that the US lacks a Federal “shield law” protecting journalists against being forced to reveal confidential sources. The assumptions are, in some situations […]