“In response to an EPIC FOIA request, the Department of Homeland Security has produced documents revealing that the agency has failed to establish privacy safeguards for “BOSS” (the Biometric Optical Surveillance System), an elaborate system for facial recognition and individual identification. The documents obtained by EPIC indicate that none of the agency’s contracts or statements… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Patriot Act
FISA court ruling on illegal NSA e-mail collection program
Washington Post – Ellen Nakashima, “The National Security Agency unlawfully gathered as many as tens of thousands of e-mails and other electronic communications between Americans as part of a now-discontinued collection program, according to a 2011 secret court opinion [redacted]. The 86-page opinion, which was declassified by U.S. intelligence officials Wednesday, explains why the chief… Continue Reading
Additional Declassified Documents Relating to Section 702 of FISA
“Created at the direction of the President of the United States, IC ON THE RECORD provides immediate, ongoing and direct access to factual information related to the lawful foreign surveillance activities carried out by the U.S. Intelligence Community.” Continue Reading
FTC Chairwoman Calls for Transparency in Big Data
Via EPIC: “In a keynote speech at the Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez called upon companies to “move their data collection and use practices out of the shadow and into the sunlight.” Chairwoman Ramirez highlighted the risks of big data including indiscriminate collection, data breaches, and behind-the-scenes profiling. She stressed the… Continue Reading
DOJ/Obama Administration White Paper on Bulk Collection of Metadata Telephony
WSJ – Obama Proposes Surveillance-Policy Overhaul – President Plans Changes to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Transcript of President Obama’s press conference on surveillance, August 9, 2013 Background on the President’s Statement on Reforms to NSA Programs, August 9 2013 Huffington Post – Obama Proposes FISA Reforms Amid Growing Concerns Over NSA Surveillance DOJ/Obama Administration White Paper on… Continue Reading
Guardian – NSA loophole allows warrantless search for US citizens’ emails and phone calls
Spy agency has secret backdoor permission to search databases for individual Americans’ communications – “The National Security Agency has a secret backdoor into its vast databases under a legal authority enabling it to search for US citizens’email and phone calls without a warrant, according to a top-secret document passed to the Guardian by Edward Snowden. The previously… Continue Reading
TRAC – New Information on FISA Judges
“Central to the growing dispute about the legality and value of the very extensive electronic surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA) is the secret federal court that approves the search warrants authorizing the NSA’s world-wide efforts. While the operations of both the NSA and the decisions of what is now incorrectly called the Federal… Continue Reading
DNI Clapper Declassifies and Releases Telephone Metadata Collection Documents
“In the interest of increased transparency, the Director of National Intelligence has authorized the declassification and public release of the attached documents pertaining to the collection of telephone metadata pursuant to Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act. DNI Clapper has determined that the release of these documents is in the public interest.” Cover Letter and… Continue Reading
NYT – TSA Expands Duties Beyond Airport Security
Ron Nixon: “With little fanfare, the agency best known for airport screenings has vastly expanded its reach to sporting events, music festivals, rodeos, highway weigh stations and train terminals. Not everyone is happy. T.S.A. and local law enforcement officials say the teams are a critical component of the nation’s counterterrorism efforts, but some members of… Continue Reading
Surveillance Order Reporting Act
CDT: “On the heels of the introduction of the “Surveillance Transparency Act” in the Senate, a bipartisan coalition in the House of Representatives led by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren has just introduced its own bill pressing for more transparency around government demands to Internet and telephone companies about their users data. As with the bill in… Continue Reading
EPIC – Government Releases Secret Court Order Authorizing NSA Telephone Surveillance
“The Director of National Intelligence has published the “Primary Order” from the FISA Court which describes the scope of the NSA’s data analysis activities for telephone call records. The order details the procedures the NSA is expected to follow when reviewing data, but is heavily redacted. The order does not include a legal analysis of… Continue Reading
Principles on Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance
International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance – Final version 10 July 2013 “As technologies that facilitate State surveillance of communications advance, States are failing to ensure that laws and regulations related to communications surveillance adhere to international human rights and adequately protect the rights to privacy and freedom of expression.… Continue Reading
