Washington, D.C. - Bloggers across the Internet have shown that you don't have to be part of the mainstream media to uncover an important story and tell it to the world. But how do you start investigating a big story for your blog?

Today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released tips for bloggers who want the inside story on government agencies. The Bloggers' FAQ on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) outlines how to use open government laws to get access to records kept by federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"Online journalism makes a unique contribution to America's vibrant culture of free speech," said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "Using the Freedom of Information Act is a powerful way to shed light on government activities and foster critical public debate about the discoveries."

The guide walks bloggers through making a FOIA request -- addressing what to ask for, which government offices must comply, and what you can and cannot obtain through FOIA. It also explains how to put requests on the fast track and get processing fees waived.

The guide is the most recent product of EFF's FLAG Project, which uses FOIA requests and litigation to expose the government's expanding use of technologies that invade privacy. Earlier this month, the FLAG Project filed lawsuits demanding that the FBI release records concerning the development of two electronic surveillance tools as well as information about the FBI's "Investigative Data Warehouse" (IDW) -- a huge database that contains hundreds of millions of entries of personal information.

"The FLAG Project investigates privacy-invasive tools and policies fostered by the government. There are many other important issues out there in which a blogger can make a difference," EFF Senior Counsel David Sobel said. "Everyone has the ability through FOIA to discover government corruption, fraud and waste, and to publicize those abuses of power."

For the Bloggers' FAQ on the Freedom of Information Act:
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/faq-FOIA.php

For the complete Legal Guide for Bloggers:
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/

For more on EFF's FLAG Project
http://www.eff.org/flag/

Contacts:

Marcia Hofmann
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
marcia@eff.org

David Sobel
Senior Counsel
Electronic Frontier Foundation
sobel@eff.org

Washington, D.C. - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today launched a project to shed light on government surveillance activities. The FLAG Project, based at EFF's new Washington, D.C. office, will use Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and litigation to expose the government's expanding use of technologies that invade Americans' privacy.

The Freedom of Information Act is a statute that compels the government to disclose details about its activities. EFF's FOIA requests will zero in on collection and use of information about Americans, the increasing cooperation between the government and the private sector, and federal agencies' development and use of new information technologies. The FLAG Project -- for FOIA Litigation for Accountable Government -- is spearheaded by two experienced Freedom of Information specialists: Senior Counsel David Sobel and Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann.

"National security and law enforcement demand some level of government secrecy, but too much can enable abuses of power," said Sobel, who will direct EFF's new project. "The NSA's illegal spying program and other recent revelations show that the government has radically expanded its surveillance of ordinary Americans, obtaining untold access to the details of our everyday lives."

"While the government has increased its monitoring of its citizens, it's also stepped up efforts to block public scrutiny," said Hofmann. "The public deserves to know what the government is doing, so that it can keep abuses of power in check and challenge violations of privacy."

In his 25-year career, Sobel has handled numerous cases seeking the disclosure of government documents on privacy policy, including electronic surveillance, encryption controls and airline passenger screening initiatives. He served as co-counsel in the challenge to government secrecy concerning post-September 11 detentions and participated in the submission of a civil liberties amicus brief in the first-ever proceeding of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. In 1994, Sobel co-founded the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Hofmann is the former Director of EPIC's Open Government Project, where she was lead counsel in several FOIA lawsuits. Documents made public though her work have been reported by the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, Fox News, and CNN, among others.

"EFF is thrilled to be working with David and Marcia," said EFF Executive Director Shari Steele. "They have a peerless track record of uncovering and widely publicizing government activities that raise significant privacy and civil liberties issues, and they will enable EFF to have more of a Washington, D.C. presence. We're so happy they have joined our legal team."

EFF will make significant FOIA disclosures available to the public, the media, and policymakers. EFF will also strategically litigate FOIA lawsuits against government agencies to develop precedents that will benefit all FOIA requesters.

To reach the FLAG Project:
Electronic Frontier Foundation
1875 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 650
Washington, DC 20009
+1 202 797-9009

For more on the FLAG Project:
http://www.eff.org/flag/

Contacts:

David Sobel
Senior Counsel
Electronic Frontier Foundation
sobel@eff.org

Marcia Hofmann
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
marcia@eff.org

Shari Steele
Executive Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
ssteele@eff.org

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has asked the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reject Ohio's latest attempt to dismiss a critical electronic voting case -- the final legal hurdle in the path to a thorough investigation of the state's widely criticized 2004 election and much needed reform.

"Ohio's procedures, like many used elsewhere across the country, simply don't do enough to protect voters from the serious vulnerabilities in the current generation of electronic voting equipment," said EFF Staff Attorney Matt Zimmerman. "It's time to let this important case go forward so that these critical problems can finally be resolved."

Last fall, EFF filed suit on behalf of voter Jeanne White against Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and Governor Bob Taft, alleging that they had abdicated their responsibilities to protect the fundamental right to vote of Ohio residents. When White voted on Election Day in 2004, the electronic voting machine she used malfunctioned, causing her vote to toggle from one candidate to another. White's problems were not isolated: other voters reported unacceptably long lines, inadequately trained pollworkers, and voting machines that failed to record their votes correctly. Similar problems were reported in the 2005 elections and in the May 2, 2006, primary, including a chaotic election in Cuyahoga County where election officials have launched a formal investigation.

In its brief, EFF argues that the widespread and deeply rooted failings in Ohio's voting system stem from incoherent and inadequate procedures, inconsistent standards, and lack of planning and training -- all of which raise serious questions about the basic fairness of the state's elections. The suit aims to require the state to dramatically increase the security and accuracy of its voting technology and related election procedures.

"The state claims that its election system merely exhibits 'garden variety' problems and that the blame for those should rest on pollworkers and other officials," said Zimmerman. "The governor and secretary of state of Ohio, however, have the ultimate duty of protecting citizens' fundamental right to vote. Instead of trying to avoid responsibility for a system in crisis, these officials need to step up to their responsibilities."

The lawsuit will also provide the best chance yet to demonstrate the true "in the field" performance record of electronic voting equipment, details of which are carefully controlled by election officials and voting equipment vendors. EFF's brief was filed on the same day that researchers at Princeton University released a critical new report demonstrating the ability to manipulate results on a Diebold electronic voting machine. The study, led by Professor Edward W. Felten, found that the machine was extremely vulnerable to "vote-stealing" attacks that would undermine the accuracy of vote counts.

EFF is working with co-counsel Kerger and Associates; Zuckerman, Spaeder, Goldstein, Taylor & Kolker; and Heller, Ehrman, White and McAuliffe, LLP, as it pursues this case.

For the full appellate brief:
http://www.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/ohio/intervenorsappellatebrief.pdf

For more on the Ohio suit:
http://www.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/ohio/

For more on the Professor Felten's research:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/tech/D8K48IU80.htm

"The field seems to be moving beyond "technology in search of a problem" (an early rant, or concern, of mine) and appears to be reaching a consensus on some problem areas: location, location and location ... and so I might recast my earlier concern as "technology in search of an application" within a problem domain.  I am glad to see so much progress being made on location sensing and tracking technologies, and I do share the underlying intuition that these technologies will support useful applications."

Recently news came out

While this trend will surely spread, it portends more "active" infrastructure that can interact, encourage or dissuade, even punish, users.

Boing Boing nicely provides links to a pre-view interview of Johnson, who also authored the provocative "Everything Bad is Good for You". 

Speaking of London and decay, I came across this piece on a future where London returns to marshland. Interesting reading and a fascinating application of botano-futurism, and forms part of the New Scientist's focus on a Post-Human Planet.

This article on 3G towers in Sweden points to this very issue. It talks about where 3G towers are placed, the public pushback on their presence by the relatively affluent who are seen mast the most likely customers of these services, and the already blighted landscape of poorer areas where communication services take-up can sometimes be the most rapid.

One quote is telling:

In some meetings with residents, he said, he felt he was risking "life and limb." But he said that now acceptance of the trappings of a wired society has grown.

"If you want broadband and to be able to work from home, then you have to allow for the infrastructure to be there," he said. "I think people are beginning to appreciate this."

I know of a man who allowed a 3G tower to be placed on his rural land in SW Sweden for the money, and the ultimately sold up and left due to animosity from neighbors, who believe the tower is an ugly eyesore in some otherwise pleasant countryside. Friends of mine bought the house and live there now, in the shadow of the tower. Ironically, the tower is so close it doesn't provide them really any additional benefit - their house is at its base and pretty much below the signal - the tower itself was probably placed to benefit the residents of Helsingborg nearby.

(Image: amigadave/Flickr). 

Interesting ideas behind Undersound include the ability to share and surf the music available from your fellow riders or previous users of a station, creating an emotional link between action, place, people and media. One can imagine the emotional tone of a station's "soundtrack" would change based on the time of day.

I missed LIFT this year, but am booking soon for 2007. Nicolas and his crew have announced details about LIFT '07, which is scheduled for February 7-9. The line-up of speakers looks fantastic. Register before December 31 for lower rates.

corner of bedford avenue and n 4th st looking ne

corner of bedford avenue and n 4th st looking nw

p.a. grocery
ne corner of franklin and java

w 16th st between 8th and 9th avenues
more information at the Surveillance Camera Players

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w 17th st between 9th and 10th avenues
more information at the Surveillance Camera Players

- Taken at 7:50 PM on November 27, 2006 - cameraphone upload by ShoZu

- Taken at 7:50 PM on November 27, 2006 - cameraphone upload by ShoZu

- Taken at 7:50 PM on November 27, 2006 - cameraphone upload by ShoZu

- Taken at 1:14 PM on November 25, 2006 - cameraphone upload by ShoZu

- Taken at 2:37 PM on November 24, 2006 - cameraphone upload by ShoZu