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Privacy of telecommunications

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Legislating peace and security: Part II

Critical State

This week, Critical State digs into new research about legislative oversight when it comes to security issues. As historian Peter Roady writes in a new article in the Journal of Policy History, the National Security Agency has escaped congressional oversight with two words: “It’s classified.”

Edward Snowden

A White House advisory panel suggests 46 ways to rein in the NSA

Global Politics
Phone Booth

So what if the government tracks my phone calls?

Global Politics
Senator Ron Wyden

The Snowden leaks gave a senator the chance to openly question the NSA

Global Politics
Union army telegraph operators just after the battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War is sometimes described as the first information war. Intercepted messages landed on Abraham Lincoln's desk.

The history of electronic surveillance, from Abraham Lincoln’s wiretaps to Operation Shamrock

Conflict & Justice
Edward Snowden, is seen in front of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in central Moscow

So what’s next for Edward Snowden after leaking NSA secrets? Apparently, a job

Global Politics

Snowden is a bit of a hero in Russia, though he’s hardly been seen since receiving asylum there. Reports in the Russian press say Snowden will start work for one of the largest websites in Russia next month.

New Documents Show Sweeping NSA Surveillance of Americans

Yesterday U.S. officials released new documents showing that the National Security Agency (NSA) may have unintentionally collected as many as 56,000 emails from Americans between 2008 and 2011. None of the individuals targeted had any connection to terrorism, but rather the communications were swept up inadvertently alongside targeted materials. Private telecommunications providers like AT&T were […]

Former FISA judge offers solution to restore confidence in court

Global Politics

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court has a PR problem. Its very existence as a “secret court” has rankled critics, who’ve demanded greater transparency. James Carr, who served on the court from 2002 to 2008 has offered his own solution to mend the public’s confidence in the court.

Recent rulings expand power of secretive FISA court

Global Politics

The New York Times this weekend revealed an expansion of power concentrated in the FISA court, the judges charged with reviewing government surveillance requests and approving or rejecting them. In virtually all cases, though, they’re approved. And new rulings show how that power is expanding.

Intelligence officials defend surveillance programs as a necessity in war on terror

Conflict & Justice

At least two terrorist attacks, including a plot against the New York Stock Exchange, were thwarted thanks to government surveillance programs, U.S. officials said at an Intelligence Committee meeting Tuesday. The government has been trying to reframe the conversation around the programs after their existence was made public by Edward Snowden.