“Despite President Obama’s vow to open government more than ever, the Justice Department is defending Bush administration decisions to keep secret many documents about domestic wiretapping, data collection on travelers and U.S. citizens, and interrogation of suspected terrorists,” Michael J. Sniffen reported for the Associated Press. See “Despite Obama Pledge, Justice Defends Bush Secrets,” February 16, 2009.
David Sobel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation described several actions taken by his organization to test and challenge the Obama Administration’s new disclosure policies. See “EFF to Obama Administration: Time to Make Open Government a Reality,” February 12, 2009.
Excessive classification continues to generate intense frustration within the government and to foster suspicion and hostility on the part of allies, according to Lt. Gen. (ret.) John Sattler, the former director of strategic plans for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His remarks were reported in “Sattler: Less Classification, More Communication with Coalition” by Rebekah Gordon, Inside the Navy, February 16, 2009.
Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed revoking its 2009 “endangerment finding” that greenhouse gases pose a substantial threat to the public. The Federation of American Scientists stands in strong opposition.
Modernizing ClinicalTrials.gov will empower patients, oncologists, and others to better understand what trials are available, where they are available, and their up-to-date eligibility criteria, using standardized search categories to make them more easily discoverable.
The Federation of American Scientists supports H.R. 4420, the Cool Corridors Act of 2025, which would reauthorize the Healthy Streets program through 2030 and seeks to increase green and other shade infrastructure in high-heat areas.
The current lack of public trust in AI risks inhibiting innovation and adoption of AI systems, meaning new methods will not be discovered and new benefits won’t be felt. A failure to uphold high standards in the technology we deploy will also place our nation at a strategic disadvantage compared to our competitors.