Mark Miclette discusses the Obama Administration's Increased Espionage Filings. What this means for you privacy on the internet

1. Obama Administration Increased Espionage Filings
With advancements in technology progressing over the course of recent years, the American
media industry has not hesitated to draw note on the control of the message executed by recent
administrations to hold the White House. Typically, this is done through observed filings under
the Espionage Act, which draws attention to cases of leaked classified information. Essentially,
a higher number of cases filed indicates that the amount of information deemed as classified
and not fit for the public’s ears is on the rise. According to ProPublica, prior to the Obama
Administrations reign upon the White House, there were only three filed cases of leaked
classified information under the Espionage Act. Under Obama’s leadership alone, eight new
cases have been filed; this, according to an article recently completed by Time, indicates that
the administration is tightening the hold on information released to the public.!
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This high number of claims has prompted more accusations of an Orwellian administration than
was even afforded to the Bush and Clinton periods of the White House; in essence, although
the previous two administrations had their controlling moments, it is believed that the Obama
run White House has taken this to a new level.!
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Kimberly Dozier, a former reported for the Associated Press, has had mixed feelings on the
declaration that the Obama Administration is particularly Orwellian. She had her phone records
seized by the Department of Justice last spring in the course of an investigation into leaked
classified information about a failed al-Qaeda plot. Dozier has claimed that, due to this

2. Obama Administration Increased Espionage Filings
intrusion, she has found her job very difficult to complete, as people are now afraid to respond
to her. However, she does also concede that, in her time reporting on the Bush Administration,
they acknowledged that they would’ve made similar prosecutions as seen by the Obama
Administration, had the technology been available to them to allow for the following of electronic
footprints. Now, several years later, this technology is available, which allows the Obama
Administration to pursue crimes that the previous administrations may not have been able to. In
essence, to Dozier, it isn’t necessarily that Obama’s White House is more controlling; they
simply have better tools that allows them to seek goals that were unattainable to previous
inhabitants.!
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Finally, there is also the issue of amateur journalists reporting on events through the use of the
personal blogs. These “reporters,” are not forced to follow the professional guidelines adhered
to by journalists; therefore, some feel that the reaction of the Obama Administration is justify, as
it is a means of controlling the inexperienced from releasing information that shouldn’t be made
available to the public.