Open Government

A growing insistence on secrecy has affected all three branches of government since September 11. A series of legal and policy decisions has made it more difficult for Congress, the courts, and the American public to oversee the operations of the executive branch. While government will always have vital interests in keeping some information secret - protecting intelligence sources and methods and ensuring the safety of military operations - safeguarding against arbitrary power is only possible when all of us have access to information about the way government works. In this respect, the new presumption of secrecy in government is making it measurably more difficult to be a responsible citizen of the United States.

Human Rights First works closely with government agencies, members of Congress and independent advocates to prevent excessive government secrecy in the name of national security. For background on developments in government openness and secrecy, see Chapter 1 (PDF 325 KB)of our report, Assessing the New Normal.