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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: November 2001

October 2001

• Secret U.S. court handed new power to fight terror by Scott Shane, Baltimore Sun, October 29. "The judges of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court rule on requests to tap the phones, bug the rooms and break into the houses of terror suspects on U.S. soil."
• Government Clamps Down on Agency Web Sites by Robin Toner, New York Times, October 28. "Agency actions have touched off a difficult and growing debate about the balance between the public's right to know and the nation's heightened security needs in an era of terrorism."
• Job Seekers Swamp U.S. Spy Shops by Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times, October 27. "Since Sept. 11, the nation's intelligence agencies have seen a wave of applications more earnest and enormous than recruiters once dared to imagine."
• Security Concerns Prompt Army To Review Web Sites, Access by Hampton Stephens, Defense Information and Electronics Report, October 26. "Recent restrictions placed on access to some Army Web sites are drawing criticism from security experts who say the service's application of access criteria is inconsistent and illogical."
• Access Denied: For security, web sites with sensitive data are being 'scrubbed,' but government agencies are drawing some fire for it by Lou Dolinar, Newsday, October 24.
• Rumsfeld Assails Leak on Troops by Vernon Loeb and Bradley Graham, Washington Post, October 23. "It is not in our country's interest to let them know when, how or even why we are conducting certain operations," Rumsfeld said.
• Secretary Rumsfeld on Leaks of Classified Information, Pentagon press briefing, October 22. "We cannot and will not provide information that could jeopardize the success of our efforts to root out and liquidate the terrorist networks that threaten our people."
• Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz on Operational Security memo dated October 18. "Much of the information we use to conduct DOD's operations must be withheld from public release because of its sensitivity."
• Many potential responses to anthrax attacks, experts say; First, U.S. must determine who did it by Keay Davidson, San Francisco Chronicle, October 18. "As investigators struggled yesterday to find the source of the apparent anthrax attacks on the East Coast, policy experts detailed responses the United States could take."
• Interior officials join Cheney in mountain hideaways by Sabrina Eaton, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 17. "Vice President Dick Cheney isn't the only federal official who has been lying low as a precaution since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."
• Military Buys Exclusive Rights to Commercial Satellite Pictures of War Zone by John J. Lumpkin, Associated Press, October 15. "The U.S. military is paying for the exclusive rights to commercial satellite imagery of Afghanistan. This could serve two purposes: to provide an extra eye on Afghanistan, and to prevent anyone else from peeking at the war zone."
• Online Secrets: Internet Could Reveal Sensitive Information to Enemies by Josh Gerstein, ABCNews.com, October 15. "The Federation of American Scientists, a group critical of government secrecy, has now taken down about 200 Web pages that contained sensitive information about the White House and other facilities."
• U.S. asks of newspapers: No unedited bin Laden comments by Ken Fireman, Newsday, October 12. "Critics of secrecy in government complained that the Bush administration was using the crisis to clamp down inappropriately on the flow of information to the public."
• House Standards Committee Issues Advisory on Classified Info, October 12. "Violations of the Classified Information Oath are violations of the Code of Official Conduct and are sanctionable as such."
• Secrecy Foe Joins U.S. Move to Scrub Data on Web by Jim Wolf, Reuters, October 11. "It's a peculiar situation," said Steven Aftergood, director of the group's Project on Government Secrecy. "We're not in the business of concealing government information."
• Watch the Raids in Afghanistan on the Web by Eric Auchard, Reuters, October 10. "The Internet offers a wealth of information for those willing to filter through the dead links and little-heard languages."
• White House Revises Restrictions on Congressional Access to Classified Information, press briefing, October 10. "It's important that members of Congress have information that they need to do their proper oversight activities."
• Bush Agrees to Brief Congressional Committees on War, Bloomberg.com, October 10. "President Bush backed away from his edict that only top legislators get access to classified military information after a meeting with lawmakers."
• Aldridge Urges "Discretion" in Dealing with the Media by Amy Butler, InsideDefense.com, October 9. "Pentagon acquisition czar Pete Aldridge has issued a memo to defense contractors asking for 'discretion' in dealing with the media as the U.S. and allied war on terrorism kicks into high gear."
• Restricting Congressional Access to Classified Information, White House press briefing (excerpts), October 9. "At a time of war like this, the President wants to make certain that every step is taken so that there cannot be a loss of life as a result of an inadvertent release of information."
• President's Comments on Restricting Congressional Access to Classified Information, October 9. "We can't have leaks of classified information. It's not in our nation's interest."
• Disclosures to the Congress, memo from President Bush restricting disclosures of classified information, October 5.
• Intelligence Gets More Funding by Carolyn Skorneck, Associated Press, October 5. "The House, eager to boost the nation's intelligence capabilities to prevent another terrorist attack, approved a 9 percent increase in spending."
• Web Sites Pull Information in Interest of National Security by Sabin Russell, San Francisco Chronicle, October 5. "We need to take a moment to assess the new security environment," said Aftergood.
• Pentagon Acquisition Chief Prohibits Discussions with the Media, email message from Darleen Druyun, SAF/AQ, October 4, 2001. "I do not want anyone within the Air Force acquisition community discussing any of our programs with the media (on or off the record)."
• Architects Put On the Alert Over Requests That Are Rare by David Dunlap, New York Times, October 4. "The Federation of American Scientists has removed from its Web site the locations and floor plans of buildings used by American intelligence agencies."
• Groom Lake Exempt from Disclosure Requirements, Presidential Determination, Federal Register, October 4. "I find that it is in the paramount interest of the United States to exempt the United States Air Force's operating location near Groom Lake, Nevada ... from any applicable requirement for the disclosure ... of classified information."
• Web Sites Pull Intelligence Data by Anick Jesdanun, Associated Press, October 3. "Before Sept. 11, the Federation of American Scientists' Web site offered details on obscure or secret U.S. intelligence facilities. No longer."
• Defense Under Secretary Urges "Discretion" in Industry, letter dated October 2. "As we all know, even seemingly innocuous industrial information can reveal much about military activities and intentions to the trained intelligence collector."
• How Overt are Covert Operations?, Slate.com, October 1. What does it mean for government activity to be "covert"?

Older News: September 2001

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