The Congressional Research Service is prohibited by congressional secrecy policy from making its reports directly available to the public. These new CRS reports on various topics of current interest were obtained by Secrecy News (all pdf).
“Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes in the United States,” May 26, 2011.
“Defense: FY2012 Budget Request, Authorization and Appropriations,” June 15, 2011.
“FBI Directorship: History and Congressional Action,” June 7, 2011.
“Presidential Authority to Impose Requirements on Federal Contractors,” June 14, 2011.
“Funding Emergency Communications: Technology and Policy Considerations,” June 14, 2011.
“The Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI): Budget Authority and Request, FY2008-FY2012,” June 1, 2011.
“Legislative History Research: A Basic Guide,” June 15, 2011.
“Mongolia: Issues for Congress,” June 14, 2011.
“Application of Religious Law in U.S. Courts: Selected Legal Issues,” May 18, 2011.
The clearinghouse will also neutrally mediate the assignment of auditors to audits—strengthening independence, trust, and ethical governance across the AI ecosystem.
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.