May 17, 2005
Privacy Advocates Sue Homeland Security
Privacy Advocates Sue Homeland Security Office
EPIC takes the government to court for details of a secret national I.D. plan.
By Ann Harrison
SecurityFocus
Apr 2 2002 4:13PM
In a legal challenge to increased government secrecy post September 11, the non-profit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Office of Homeland Security and its director, Governor Tom Ridge, seeking release of documents detailing what it says is the government's secret development of a de facto national identification system.
The lawsuit follows EPIC's March 20th request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for expedited release of the office's records on technical and legislative proposals for such an identification system. The FOIA requires that requests for expedited processing be acted upon within ten days. The Office failed to act on the request, giving EPIC the right to file suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The Office of Homeland Security had no comment on the lawsuit. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/362
Posted by ann at May 17, 2005 11:40 PM