"A huge door is closing within our government," warns Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists. Aftergood is referring to new efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to keep sensitive - but unclassified - information out of the public domain. According to a department directive, "employees and contractors can be searched at any place or any time to ensure they are in compliance with the policy. They can also face administrative, civil or criminal penalties if they violate the rules." Susan Stranahan warns that "the cloak of secrecy is spreading rapidly under the guise of enhancing national security. ... But the secrets guarded by those in Washington don't only involve Star Wars programs run amok, or abuses of civil rights in a time of war, or poor management of an agency vital to national security. Denial of access to information of all sorts is growing 'at an epidemic rate,' according to Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley."