FBI Can't Find Its Drone Privacy Reports

v3rgEz (125380) writes "Programs run by the federal government are typically required to undergo a Privacy Impact Assessment if there's a chance they'll veer into monitoring the activities of citizens: The assessments help balance the risks and benefits of the program, and help guide any oversight to prevent abuse. But despite being legally mandated, the FBI and Justice Department have had a tough time producing the assessments done in conjunction with the Bureau's domestic surveillance drone program, first telling privacy advocates to file a FOIA request, and then rejecting that request, before ultimately claiming they now simply can't find the documents altogether."

Comments

Re:Official Govm't Excuse

[Sarten-X]

You're being naive in thinking that you understand the underlying basis of the relevant "one law".

"The law" does not guarantee you the ability to drive, remain in the country, or escape from tax penalties. However, you are guaranteed due process, where the inconvenience to you is compared to the severity of the accusation, and an established procedure is followed to ultimately determine if (and if so, to what extent) you are liable for the incident in question.

If you can't find your license or title, you may be given a citation or even prevented from driving temporarily, but that's usually not enough to cause a judge to suspend your driving outright. Similarly, having no proof of residency won't get you deported immediately, but it will get you into the court system while paperwork is sorted out to determine what should happen. Having no paperwork for last year's taxes is practically irrelevant, since as far as I know, prior years' tax forms are not necessary to fulfill any legal mandate, but getting rid of them may make other (voluntary) processes more difficult, like contesting the IRS during an audit or establishing a financial history.

Absolutely none of your examples are the start of an imminent path to criminal liability. There's always a point where a court will consider the impact of the case, and decide whether punishing you will likely be beneficial enough to society to justify your inconvenience. Likewise, the FBI losing paperwork isn't a reason in itself to stop drone surveillance. Rather, the issue should now begin its own due process, with various oversight committees meeting and discussing whether the risk of privacy invasion outweighs the benefits of having a drone program.

Of course, outside of the Internet echo chamber, privacy isn't really a big deal as long as it isn't being violated intentionally to harass someone, so I fully expect the program to continue, probably with a requirement to find the reports or redo the evaluation.