[Infowarrior] - EFF sues feds for info on social network surveillance

[Richard Forno]

  December 1, 2009 3:07 PM PST
EFF sues feds for info on social network surveillance
by Elinor Mills
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10407224-245.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the CIA, Defense Department,  
Justice Department and three other government agencies on Tuesday for  
allegedly refusing to release information about how they are using  
social networks in surveillance and investigations.

The nonprofit Internet rights watchdog group formally asked more than  
a dozen agencies or departments in early October to provide records  
about federal guidelines on the use of sites like Facebook, Twitter,  
and Flickr for investigative or data gathering purposes, according to  
the lawsuit.

The requests were prompted by published news reports about how  
authorities are using social networks to monitor citizen activities  
and aid in investigations. For example, according to the lawsuit,  
government officials have: used Facebook to hunt for fugitives and  
search for evidence of underage drinking; researched the activities of  
an activist on Facebook and LinkedIn; watched YouTube to identify riot  
suspects; searched the home of a social worker because of Twitter  
messages regarding police actions he sent during the G-20 summit; and  
used fake identities to trick Facebook users into accepting friend  
requests.

The EFF needs access to the information to "help inform Congress and  
the public about the effect of such uses and purposes on citizens'  
privacy rights and associated legal protections," the lawsuit said.

None of the agencies contacted had complied with the EFF's Freedom of  
Information Act (FOIA) requests and only one, the IRS, had asked for  
an extension, according to the suit.

The suit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, names the  
defendants as the CIA, the office of the Director of National  
Intelligence, and the departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland  
Security and Treasury.

The FOIA requests and the lawsuit were filed on behalf of the EFF by  
the Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic at the  
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

The government agencies could not be reached for comment Tuesday  
afternoon.