Topic: Transparency and Acountability

Grassley, Leahy, Cornyn, Feinstein Introduce Bill to Reinforce Transparency in Wake of Supreme Court FOIA Decision and Recent Regulations
July 24, 2019 – The Open and Responsive Government Act (S. 2220), will reverse recent developments that undermine the public’s right to access information and hold government accountable.
Whistleblowers, Journalists, and Free Press Advocates Condemn Espionage Act Charges Against Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale
July 18, 2019 – One hundred and seventy three individuals and 50 organizations have joined Defending Rights & Dissent, Roots Action, and the Whistleblower & Source Protection Program (WHISPeR) at Expose Facts in condemning the Espionage Act charges against drone whistleblower Daniel Hale. Included among the signatories are other whistleblowers who have been victims of Espionage Act abuse, including Daniel Ellsberg, Thomas Drake, John Kiriakiou, and Jeffrey Sterling.
Private Prisons are Operating in the Shadows, Let’s Shine The Light on Them
July 16, 2019 – Private prisons are caging children for profit, denying them basic human rights and bare necessities. It’s unconscionable.And yet, we may not even know the worst of it, because private prisons are able to operate in the shadows, shielded from accountability by a loophole in the law.
Supreme Court weakens FOIA, undermining Americans’ right to know
July 14, 2019 – Open and transparent government took another hit when the Supreme Court ruled to broaden the definition of “confidential” materials that are exempt from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Even More Secrecy for the CIA?
July 11, 2019 – How much secrecy does the CIA need, and why? The CIA wants to expand the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which makes it a crime to expose the identity of any covert agents who has worked abroad in the past five years. The new provision, which i… [Read More]
Members of Congress Might Need Some Help Understanding Science and Technology.
May 10, 2019 – DRAD has joined a broad, bipartisan coalition to support reviving the Office of Technology Assessment to help them understand emerging technologies in order to tackle 21st century science and technology policy challenges.
Defending Rights & Dissent’s Statement on the Indictment of Julian Assange
April 11, 2019 – Earlier this morning, London police entered the Ecuadorian embassy and arrested Julian Assange. Press freedom, civil liberties, and human rights groups have long opposed the extradition of Assange to the US.
A New Website for the NSA’s Inspector General
October 1, 2018 – The National Security Agency Office of the Inspector General (NSA OIG) announced today the launch of its new, independent website – sharing much more information with the public about its work.
Artists, Poets, Activists Ask “Is Truth Melting Away?” In a Series of Events Sept. 21-23
September 16, 2018 – DRAD has teamed up with PEN America, the Corcoran School of Art and Design and artists Nora Ligarono and Marshall Reese to host a weekend of For Freedoms programming as part of a 50 State Initiative in which concurrent decentralized public events across the country will reflect a multiplicity of voices and spark a national dialogue about art, education, commerce, and politics.
We’ve Been Without PCLOB Since Before Trump Took Office. That Is A Problem
August 30, 2018 – Members of the 9/11 Commission were smart enough to understand that federal counterterrorism programs would threaten privacy and civil liberties, so they recommended the creation of a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) to review those programs to ensure they include safeguards to protect privacy and civil liberties. It’s been inoperative since January 2017.