Group sues US govt. over counter terrorism effort
A human rights group has sued the United States government for details of its federal program to fight terrorism in the country.
The program tries to enlist Americans in helping to identify and discourage violent extremism in their communities.
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University says it has filed the lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan to force the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to release records about their Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program.
The center says the program relies on a flawed approach to counter terrorism, arguing that it will stigmatize Muslims and reinforce Islamophobic stereotypes as well as suppress dissent and divide communities.
Spokespeople for Homeland Security and the Justice Department were not immediately available to comment, according to Reuters.
Government agencies set up a task force in January to boost the effort and other agencies have launched initiatives of their own. These actions came after President Barack Obama in 2011 unveiled a plan for "empowering local partners to prevent violent extremism in the United States."
At the same time, the government has pressured Silicon Valley to more forcefully limit the proliferation of extremist communications online.
Over the past year, Facebook took steps to more aggressively remove content. The company, which boasts 1.5 billion users, is also helping to fund an initiative led by Homeland Security and the State Department to outsource creation of online counter-messaging to college students.
Last year, Congress allocated some $40 million for CVE, above the several hundred thousand dollars aides said the Obama administration had requested to cover travel expenses to meet with communities around the country. Roughly $10 million to $15 million is for state and local governments, aides said.
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