Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

See the following -

White House Vastly Overstates Federal Transparency, Auditors Report

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | October 30, 2013

The U.S. has only completed half the commitments it made two years ago under an international government transparency agreement, an independent auditor found recently. Read More »

3 Things You Can Do to End Police Killings and Fix the Criminal Justice System

Matthew Cooke | Huffington Post | December 10, 2014

The reality is this: As an American you're way more likely to be shot by a police officer or arrested on false charges than you are to be attacked by a terrorist or contract ebola. And if you're black or brown, the chances increase exponentially. So it's good we're talking about issues that really affect us -- and not just distracted by the standard fare that sells commercial advertising on the 24-hour news cycle.

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Activist Group Sues US Border Agency Over New, Vast Intelligence System

Cyrus Farivar | Ars Technica | July 21, 2014

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has sued the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in an attempt to compel the government agency to hand over documents relating to a relatively new comprehensive intelligence database of people and cargo crossing the US border...

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Agencies Plan for Government-Wide FOIA Portal

David Perera | Fierce Government | January 10, 2012

Three federal agencies are creating a common web portal for Freedom of Information Act requests with the intention of launching it in fall 2012. The $1.3 million portal, being built mostly with funds from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Commerce Department, with some participation from NARA, could save the federal government $200 million over 5 years were it to be adopted gover Read More »

Dangerous Drug Attorney Jeffrey D. DeCarlo Comments On ‘OpenFDA’ Website’s Benefit To Consumers

Press Release | openFDA | August 17, 2014

Attorney Jeffrey D. DeCarlo, P.A. weighs in on the launch of the openFDA website, allowing consumers easier access to label information, recalls and other information about defective drugs and medical devices...

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Detroit-Area Mental Health Clinics to Implement OpenVista Electronic Health Record

Press Release | Medsphere Systems Corporation | October 21, 2015

Medsphere Systems Corporation...today announced that the Behavioral Center of Michigan and Samaritan Behavioral Center, providers of inpatient behavioral health and related services in and around Detroit, will implement the company’s OpenVista® electronic health record (EHR). The Behavioral Center of Michigan, a 42-bed inpatient facility in the Detroit suburb of Warren, manages Samaritan, a 55-bed adult inpatient facility located in revitalizing Detroit. "The decision to go with OpenVista was based on both the reputation of VistA-based systems at VA and Indian Health Service hospitals and the success other Medsphere clients like Silver Hill Hospital have had with the system,” said Behavioral Center of Michigan CEO Ryan Gunabalan.

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EFF Sues FBI For Access To Facial-Recognition Records

Press Release | Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) | June 26, 2013

As the FBI is rushing to build a "bigger, faster and better" biometrics database, it's also dragging its feet in releasing information related to the program's impact on the American public. Read More »

EPA Withholds Information On Dirty Bomb Report

Douglas P. Guarino | Nextgov | February 6, 2013

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is declining to release information on a controversial federal report that could lead people living near the site of a radiological “dirty bomb” attack to face greater cancer risks than what the agency would normally allow. Read More »

Even Cities Are Jumping On The Open Source Bandwagon

Alyssa Hertig | Motherboard | August 7, 2014

When most people think “open source” they think of software Github projects and hackers determined to code for the Greater Good. But it’s also a wholesale philosophy that can be applied to many aspects of society—like running a city...

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FDA Staffers Sue Agency Over Surveillance of Personal E-Mail

Ellen Nakashima and Lisa Rein | The Washington Post | January 29, 2012

The Food and Drug Administration secretly monitored the personal e-mail of a group of its own scientists and doctors after they warned Congress that the agency was approving medical devices that they believed posed unacceptable risks to patients, government documents show.

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Forget The Sony Hack, This Could Be The Biggest Cyber Attack Of 2015

Patrick Tucker | Defense One | December 19, 2014

...[A]ccording to cyber-security professionals, the Sony hack may be a prelude to a cyber attack on United States infrastructure that could occur in 2015, as a result of a very different, self-inflicted document dump from the Department of Homeland Security in July...

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Freedom Of Information Act Machine Fights Government Secrecy By Automating Transparency Requests

Billy Gallagher | TechCrunch | July 18, 2013

The Freedom of Information Act Machine, an open online platform that automates Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, launched on Kickstarter two days ago and has already surpassed its funding goal. At the time of publication, it had cleared $20,000 in funding from over 600 backers. Read More »

Government as a Platform for Progress: HHS’s Open Government Plan

Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., RN | HHS Blog | October 6, 2016

One of the first actions President Obama took after taking office was to direct federal agencies to find new ways to increase transparency, collaboration and public engagement. Since then, one of our top priorities at HHS has been to make our Department more open and accountable to the people we serve. With the publication of our fourth HHS Open Government Plan, we’re building on our past performance in making government more transparent to the public and engaging in new ways of collaborating and partnering with our stakeholders.

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HCCA/Southern Inyo Healthcare District Selects OpenVista EHR

Press Release | HCCA, Southern Inyo Healthcare District | August 24, 2016

Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of affordable and interoperable electronic health record (EHR) solutions and services, today announced that the company and Healthcare Conglomerate Associates (HCCA) will partner to improve and modernize care in the area on behalf of the Southern Inyo Healthcare District (SIHD). The agreement calls for Medsphere to implement the OpenVista® electronic health record (EHR) system in Southern Inyo Hospital and manage and support the hospital’s information technology through the company’s Phoenix Health Systems division...

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Health Care Data Breaches Have Hit 30M Patients And Counting

Jason Millman | The Washington Post | August 19, 2014

Welcome to Health Reform Watch, Jason Millman's regular look at how the Affordable Care Act is changing the American health-care system — and being changed by it...

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