Web Won't Let Government Hide By Ryan Singel Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,65800,00.html
02:00 AM Nov. 29, 2004 PT Given the government keeps tabs on the world using armies of agents, algorithms and wiretaps, how can a citizen compete? Try a browser. Governments at every level these days are providing less information about their inner workings, sometimes using fear of terrorism as an excuse. But it's precisely times like these that mandate citizens' rights to check the efficiency of their government and hold those who fail accountable, open government advocates say. The government itself won't make it easy, so an increasing number of websites and data crunchers are stepping in to provide information about the inner workings of government. For starters, there's Google's little-known government specific search engine. Those proficient with crafting search terms can find Attorney General John Ashcroft's office number, gee-whiz nanotechnology movies and NASA's Microgravity Man comic strip. One can even find homeland security alerts about truck bombs (PDF) and the intelligence needs of the FBI. Another trove of information is George Washington University's National Security Archive, which contains thousands of documents acquired through patient Freedom of Information Act requests. And there's CoolGov, a blog devoted to ferreting out quirky tidbits such as videos of airline crashes. Those interested in the nitty-gritty of how and why the government hides information can subscribe to Stephen Aftergood's Secrecy News listserv, which is part of his work as the director of Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy. Aftergood, who publishes a couple times a week, has built up an archive of previously unpublished reports created for Congress and information about the CIA's ongoing opposition to the publication of its budget. Chris Hoofnagle, a lawyer for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (which is known for its prowess with Freedom of Information Act requests), calls Aftergood's work a must-read for anyone interested in a "nuanced interpretation of government information policy." Aftergood uses FOIA requests only sparingly though, calling them cumbersome, relying instead on contacts and tips. "Information has gravitational properties," Aftergood said. "Over time, more and more information flows to me." When asked what motivates him, Aftergood gives both a principled and pragmatic answer. "Openness is essential to self-government," Aftergood said. "If we mean to be our own rulers, then we need access to information. What keeps me going, though, is that, fortunately, a lot of this work is fun -- it is fun to collect information and to share it with like-minded others and to discover that small groups of interested citizens can be more effective and agile than large government bureaucracies." Aftergood is not the only one-man information bank on the internet. Russ Kick keeps information alive at The Memory Hole, where he archives documents pulled from government websites. He is famous for successfully using FOIA to obtain and publish photos of American soldiers' coffins being unloaded at the Dover Air Force Base. John Young, a New York City architect, has been running the encyclopedic Cryptome since 1996, when he was inspired by the Cypherpunk mailing list to start learning about dual-use government technology. Since the terrorist attacks on his city in 2001, Young has been striving to post as much information as possible, including lists of intelligence agents and pictures of vulnerable gas mains in New York City, as well as satellite images and maps of government officials' residences. Though he has been criticized for providing information that could help terrorists, Young said he is helping to debunk the idea that hiding information will keep the country safe. "We aren't experts, so if we can find it -- these folks are much smarter than we give them credit for, they are almost certain to already have it," Young said. "They use the internet avidly and have a lot more time to do this than I do. If I can find it and not let it be known, it creates a greater hazard." EPIC's Hoofnagle sees these efforts as part of an "overall system that has a skeptical worldview of government action." "Our FOIA work has proven it pays to be skeptical," Hoofnagle said. "EPIC is perhaps best known for our FOIA requests into the Carnivore system, which the FBI described as a precise and surgical computer forensic tool that turned out to be more like a vacuum cleaner. "Unless one can put their hands on the actual agency documents, the public has to rely upon representations that may be jaundiced." End of story You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.
