FOIA Advisor

FOIA News: FBI loses Glomar case re: social media monitoring

FOIA News (2015-2023)Allan BlutsteinComment

Judge Rules FBI Cannot Hide Use of Social Media Surveillance Tools 

Nicholas Iovino, Courthouse News Serv., Nov. 18, 2019

The FBI cannot hide whether it uses powerful surveillance tools to monitor the social-media activity of millions of Americans and noncitizens, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen rejected the government’s argument that acknowledging such surveillance capabilities, or the lack thereof, could reveal sensitive law enforcement techniques that would help criminals evade justice.

Read more here.

Copy of decision in post below.