While recent decisions and court findings have clarified what records can be requested under Pennsylvania's Right-To-Know law, the state's open records chief said there are still some unanswered questions.
Erik Arneson, executive director of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, spoke to reporters Thursday on a wide variety of topics and issues. Continue>>>
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Soon you'll be able to find out where the federal government flies drones and what it does with the data according to a report fromThe Washington Post.The White House is getting ready to send out an order to make agencies open up data on where they fly drones and what happens to all of the data they collect.
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In a bid to clear the way for a controversial Senate nominee, the Obama administration signaled it will publicly reveal a secret memo explaining its legal justification for using drones to kill American citizens overseas.
The Justice Department, officials say, has decided not to appeal a Court of Appeals ruling requiring disclosure of a redacted version of the memo under the Freedom of Information Act.
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From Wired: Months after a federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit seeking Central Intelligence Agency documents outlining the government’s drone targeted killing program, the President Barack Obama administration is again claiming that acknowledging if it has such paperwork could disclose classified secrets concerning whether it even carries out targeted killings.
All the while, a federal appeals court ruled in March that everybody knows the government performs targeted killings.
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From Politico: A legal clinic seeking information on the U.S. Government's use of drone strikes and "kill lists" in the war on terror is mounting a headlong drive to restore the Freedom of Information Act's reach into the White House.
For decades, the core federal transparency law had some—albeit limited—purchase in the White House. At least some National Security Council records could be obtained through FOIA, along with some administrative records relating to White House operations.
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From Twin Cities Daily Planet: Since its earliest days, the Obama administration has been circumspect about officially confirming the existence of its drone-centric counter-terrorism operations. Despite extensive press coverage of the subject (as well as apparently sanctioned leaks and carefully crafted public statements) the administration avoided officially acknowledging its drone program for over four years.
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From eNews Park Forest: WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–May 23 – Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Congress confirming that the government has killed four Americans since 2010 in strikes overseas, and claiming that the government’s actions were justified.
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From Air Force Times:
Information on weapon releases from remotely piloted aircraft — previously made open to the public — is now only available through official Freedom of Information Act requests.
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