nsa

Federal Court Finds NSA Metadata Program Illegal

According to Politico, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a former NSA call metadata collection program violated US law. In its unanimous decision, the appeals court found the authorizations of the NSA’s so-called “bulk collection” … Read more »

Republicans and Dozens of Democrats in House Reauthorize Mass Surveillance Without Reform

A new piece from The Intercept reports that, in a vote of 256 to 164, the US House of Representatives approved a renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702 provisions, forcing a vote in the Senate. Extending … Read more »

Opinion: For Sun-Times Editorial Board, No Warrant, No Surveillance, No Exceptions

This week the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board took a firm stance against warrantless surveillance against American citizens, specifically that which is tolerated under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The legislation, which is under consideration for … Read more »

NSA Voluntarily Ends Collection of Americans’ Messages Referencing Foreign Targets

According to a new report by the New York Times, the NSA has voluntarily ended a mass surveillance program which collected Americans’ email or SMS messages which reference an individual who is the target of another program. While the agency … Read more »

AT&T surveillance collusion with NSA

Pro Publica has this scoop on an unholy alliance:  https://www.propublica.org/article/heres-why-the-close-collaboration-between-the-nsa-and-att-matters

Chicago Congressional Reps. Divided on Bill to Block NSA Spying

A bit of local news—last week the US House of Representatives voted 255-174 in favor of a bill that would defund the National Security Agency’s (NSA) “backdoor spying” tactics on US citizens, and thereby mandate explicit warrants for any interception … Read more »

Congress Passes USA Freedom Act, Takes Baby Steps In Surveillance Reform

At long last, Congress has slapped a band-aid on the bleeding wounds of the 4th Amendment. This week saw the passage of the USA Freedom Act to ostensibly replace the more egregious trappings of Section 215 of the USA Patriot … Read more »

Will The Senate Allow The Patriot Act To Simply Expire?

Judgment day approaches for Section 215 of the Patriot Act and the US government’s current mass surveillance program.

Last Saturday morning, the Senate refused to extend the draconian piece of legislation and couldn’t summon the necessary majority to impose a … Read more »

Patriot Act Gets the Filibuster Treatment from Sen. Rand Paul

With the Patriot Act due to expire at the end of the month, Rand Paul took the Senate floor this afternoon to speak at length on why the Senate should let it go gently into that good night.

While other … Read more »

NSA’s Mass Phone Surveillance Ruled Illegal

We already knew the National Security Agency’s (NSA) program to collect telephone metadata was unconstitutional. Now we know it’s illegal too.

Last week, a panel of three judges from the US Court of Appeals second circuit overturned a prior ruling … Read more »