Tag: fisa

The Magician’s Con: Renewing FISA & NDAA Under Cover of Fiscal Cliff Debates

“If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.”—Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis What characterizes American government today is not so much dysfunctional politics as it is ruthlessly contrived governance carried out behind the entertaining, distracting and disingenuous curtain of political theater. And … Continue reading “The Magician’s Con: Renewing FISA & NDAA Under Cover of Fiscal Cliff Debates”

Congress Must Act on Warrantless Wiretapping

As Congress and the president rush to re-authorize the dangerous FISA Amendments Act — the law shamefully passed after pressure to legalize certain portions of the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program — EFF has been sounding the alarm that Americans’ communications are still being unconstitutionally collected by the government without a warrant. On Friday, the Office … Continue reading “Congress Must Act on Warrantless Wiretapping”

Four More Years of Warrantless Surveillance

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) established a panel of judges (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court) who were empowered to issue warrants to federal government organizations, including the National Security Agency, to enable them to listen in on the conversations of American citizens or residents who were speaking to foreign nationals overseas or … Continue reading “Four More Years of Warrantless Surveillance”

Government Forced to Release Docs on Spying Program

Last week’s release of 900 pages of U.S. government documents dealing with the implementation of the nation’s primary surveillance law suggests that the government has been systematically violating the privacy rights of U.S. citizens. How many citizens is unclear, since the documents were extensively redacted. The previously secret internal documents were obtained through a court … Continue reading “Government Forced to Release Docs on Spying Program”

Judge Rebukes Bush-Era Spying Program

The efforts of the Barack Obama administration to maintain the secrecy of the counterterrorism policies of its predecessor, the administration of former President George W. Bush, hit a major speed bump last week. On March 31, a federal judge ruled that the National Security Agency violated a 1978 federal statute requiring court approval for domestic … Continue reading “Judge Rebukes Bush-Era Spying Program”