Is the Government Spying on Free Speech Groups?

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In this episode, Patrick Eddington and host Sydney Jarrard discuss Eddington’s ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project; the project is trying to determine the extent to which FBI domestic surveillance is collecting national security or intelligence records on domestic organizations such as media outlets, organizations dedicated to the Bill of Rights, and immigration policy groups. One such organization is the Campaign for Liberty, a political organization founded by Congressman Ron Paul. In researching this project, Eddington has received 23 “neither confirm nor deny” responses from the Department of Justice. He explains the meaning and history of these so-called “Glomar” responses. Further, Eddington describes the problematic relationship between the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), an independent board charged with reviewing and analyzing actions the executive branch takes regarding terrorism, and the agencies and departments it reviews. PCLOB must submit its reports to those agencies and departments for review, a process that can essentially amount to censorship.