DHS Appeals Ruling in EPIC's "Internet" Kill Switch Case
The Department of Homeland Security has appealed a ruling for EPIC in a Freedom of Information Case involving Standard Operating Procedure 303, a protocol which describes the government's plan for deactivating wireless communications networks. Seeking information about the First Amendment and public safety implications of the protocol, EPIC filed a FOIA lawsuit against the agency. A federal court ruled that the protocol could not be withheld under the FOIA because it was not an investigative technique and DHS had not established that releasing the document would cause harm to any individual. Therefore, the court concluded, the documents EPIC sought should be turned over. The Department of Justice has now appealed that decision to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. For more information, see EPIC: EPIC v. DHS (SOP 303) and EPIC: FOIA.