News

• Have we finally reached Tumblr’s jump the shark moment? The intelligence community has turned to the hip blogging platform to share information with the public. (Federal Computer Week)
• A Federal appeals court recently severely curtailed the ability of government workers who deal with sensitive, but non-critical information to seek relief from the Merit Systems Protection Board if they are dismissed. It could limit the rights of whistleblowers. (Federal Computer Week)
• German politicians are turning to a unique YouTube personality to get their messages out during the current election campaign. Jung and Naiv host Tilo Jung asks questions and discusses relevant topics in the character of a naive and easily impressed political novice. (Tech President)
• The Indian government has launched a new Right to Information portal that allows citizens to make requests online. The site was described as a “weapon in the hands of the people,” by a government minister announcing the portal. (Future Gov)
• The latest scandalous revelation about the 2010 Washington, DC Mayoral campaign indicate that the campaign of Mayor Vince Gray may have illegally coordinated with a PAC in order to put a $15,000 poll in the field. (Public Integrity)
• The sequester is striking at the public’s ability to access important historic information about the government’s intelligence activities. The CIA has disbanded its Historical Collections Division, which catalogs the agencies records and eventually decides what should be declassified, and shifted its responsibilities to the division that handles FOIA requests. (Government Executive)

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