The Government Just Made It Harder to See What Spy Tech It Buys
6 hours ago
- #investigative journalism
- #surveillance technology
- #government transparency
- FPDS.gov was a crucial resource for tracking U.S. government purchases of surveillance tools.
- The site was shut down and replaced by SAM.gov, which is less user-friendly and transparent.
- FPDS.gov's simple interface allowed easy access to detailed contract information, including vendors, agencies, and product categories.
- Journalists used FPDS to uncover significant government contracts, such as ICE's deals with Palantir.
- SAM.gov complicates searches for past purchases, requiring logins and offering unclear filters.
- The transition to SAM.gov reduces transparency in government spending, impacting investigative journalism.