Independent press reporting of Army plans to extend soldiers’ tours of duty in Iraq by three months prompted outraged warnings from the Army vice chief of staff about the need to improve control of Army information against unauthorized disclosure. See “General: Embarrassing = Secret” in the Danger Room blog, April 18.
The government asserted the “state secrets” privilege in a Nevada lawsuit involving eTreppid Technologies (and the classified BIG SAFARI program). But instead of trying to shut the case down, as commonly occurs in state secrets cases, the government, which is not a party to the case, is proposing a way that it could proceed. See “eTreppid case gets special treatment” by Martha Bellisle, Reno Gazette-Journal, April 19.
Senate efforts to advance the FY2007 Intelligence Authorization Act collapsed again on April 17 in the face of Republican opposition to several provisions of the legislation, further undermining congressional oversight of intelligence.
The potential implication of these evidence gaps becomes more consequential when you look at how institutions actually make decisions day to day.
Every new institution inherits something – existing incentives, existing staff, decades of prior investment that shaped what’s possible.
This is not the first time Google has agreed to censor imagery at the behest of governments, but be warned: obfuscation at this broad level poses a direct threat to the public’s ability to monitor and scrutinize government operations.
America’s affordability problem is bigger than home prices and rents. The best housing policies make it easier to build homes, and recognize how housing connects to other domains.