cybersecurity Department of Homeland Security DHS Media Monitoring

EPIC Prevails in Internet Surveillance Case

A federal judge in Washington, DC has granted EPIC attorney's fees in a long-running case against the Department of Homeland Security. In 2012 EPIC sued the DHS for information about a secret program to monitor Internet traffic. The "Cyber Pilot" program applied originally to defense contractors, but a 2012 Executive Order dramatically expanded the program, raising concerns about violations of federal wiretap law. EPICs lawsuit produced the release of several thousand pages on the program. In today's extensive opinion, Judge Gladys Kessler concluded that EPIC "substantially prevailed in this litigation" and that EPIC had added "to the fund of information that citizens may use in making vital political choices." The Court awarded EPIC substantial attorneys fees for its work in the case.

November 21, 2016| Share: