Latest Breaking News

Purveyor

(29,876 posts) Thu Aug 27, 2015, 12:21 PM Aug 2015

AP Sues Over Access To FBI Records Involving Fake News Story

Source: Associated Press

Aug 27, 11:11 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Associated Press sued the U.S. Department of Justice Thursday over the FBI's failure to provide public records related to the creation of a fake news story used to plant surveillance software on a suspect's computer.

AP joined with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to file the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

At issue is a 2014 Freedom of Information request seeking documents related to the FBI's decision to send a web link to the fake article to a 15-year-old boy suspected of making bomb threats to a high school near Olympia, Washington. The link enabled the FBI to infect the suspect's computer with software that revealed its location and Internet address.

AP strongly objected to the ruse, which was uncovered last year in documents obtained through a separate FOIA request made by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FBI_FAKE_NEWS_STORY_LAWSUIT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-08-27-09-45-05

8 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

AP Sues Over Access To FBI Records Involving Fake News Story (Original Post) Purveyor Aug 2015 OP

Hmmm back in the day the CIA used journalists as underthematrix Aug 2015 #1

I think the AP is wrong on this one. padfun Aug 2015 #2

Same here. A link was sent to the kid, the story wasn't widely available, otherwise. randome Aug 2015 #3

However, they're suing to get a FOIA request answered, not to stop the FBI doing it muriel_volestrangler Aug 2015 #4

"...strongly objected to the ruse..." Makes me wonder what they object to, though. randome Aug 2015 #7

Damn right. Those are the principles the German Democratic Republic was founded on. jtuck004 Aug 2015 #8

"the FBI indicated it might take nearly two years to find and copy the requested records" bananas Aug 2015 #5

The AP should clean its own house first. Darb Aug 2015 #6

underthematrix

(5,811 posts)

1. Hmmm back in the day the CIA used journalists as

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 12:27 PM

Aug 2015

field officers. I wonder if AP would file FOIA requests for those records.

padfun

(1,786 posts)

2. I think the AP is wrong on this one.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 12:29 PM

Aug 2015

If the kid was truly making bomb threats, then the FBI was right in trying to determine where the kid was.
If the FBI didn't do this, then they would have caught flack when the kid did blow something up.

randome

(34,845 posts)

3. Same here. A link was sent to the kid, the story wasn't widely available, otherwise.

Reply to padfun (Reply #2)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 12:45 PM

Aug 2015

Sounds like a good use of resources to me.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it."
Tony Randall, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)[/center][/font][hr]

muriel_volestrangler

(101,320 posts)

4. However, they're suing to get a FOIA request answered, not to stop the FBI doing it

Reply to padfun (Reply #2)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 12:51 PM

Aug 2015

They object to the FBI doing it, sure, but they are not, at this stage anyway, trying to stop them, but trying to find out how often it's done.

randome

(34,845 posts)

7. "...strongly objected to the ruse..." Makes me wonder what they object to, though.

Reply to muriel_volestrangler (Reply #4)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 01:25 PM

Aug 2015

Oh, geeze, after reading the article, they're worried about their credibility?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it."
Tony Randall, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)[/center][/font][hr]

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)

8. Damn right. Those are the principles the German Democratic Republic was founded on.

Reply to padfun (Reply #2)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 03:05 PM

Aug 2015

It's even in the name. If it was Democratic enough for the Stasi, it should be for us, eh?

bananas

(27,509 posts)

5. "the FBI indicated it might take nearly two years to find and copy the requested records"

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 01:07 PM

Aug 2015

The FBI is stonewalling.
Wonder what they're hiding?

Darb

(2,807 posts)

6. The AP should clean its own house first.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Thu Aug 27, 2015, 01:12 PM

Aug 2015

https://www.emptywheel.net/2015/08/20/washington-shocked-shocked-that-aps-george-jahn-is-a-tool-for-iran-deal-opponents/

Then worry about the tactics used to stop a lunatic kid from bombing his school.

Reply to this discussion