fisa

The Difference Between 'Legal' and 'Illegal'

In 2006, when the British police -- using (among other things) electronic surveillance conducted by both the U.S.

Posted in domestic spying, fisa, rule of law, surveillance

Free Speech vs. Surveillance in the Digital Age

Tools of mass communication that were once the province of governments and corporations now fit in your pocket. Cell phones can capture video and send it wirelessly to the Internet. People can send eyewitness accounts, photos and videos, with a few keystrokes, to thousands or even millions via social networking sites. As these technologies have developed, so too has the ability to monitor, filter, censor and block them.

Posted in domestic spying, fisa, surveillance

The NYT's Predictable Revelation: New FISA Law Enabled Massive Abuses

In The New York Times last night, James Risen and Eric Lichtblau -- the reporters who won the Pulitzer Prize for informing the nation in 2005 that the NSA was illegally spying on Americans on the orders of George Bush, a revelation that produced no consequences other than the 2008 Democratic Congress' legalizing most of those activities and retroactively protecting the wrongdoers -- passed on leaked revelations of brand new NSA domestic spying abuses, ones enabled by the 2008 FISA law.

Posted in domestic spying, fisa

Obama's Security Priorities

President Obama's repudiation of the Bush administration's keystone counterterrorism policies on detention, torture and blanket surveillance has been neither consistent nor complete. To the contrary, the new administration's actions and statements in its first week in office hint at a clear ordering of priorities when it comes to rolling back its predecessor's most troubling decisions. While opponents of torture have cause for celebration, those worried about excessive electronic surveillance should be especially concerned.

Posted in fisa, guantanamo, obama, torture

FISA Ruling: A Case Study in 8 Years of Lying and Ignorance

Ever since The New York Times, on December 16, 2005, first reported that President Bush ordered spying on Americans without the warrants required by FISA, the clear illegality that was unveiled -- FISA said that X was a felony and Bush admitted to doing X -- was continuously obscured by a combination of deceit on the part of Bush followers and ignorance, sloth and confusion on the part of the media.

Posted in fisa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2008
2:31 PM

CONTACT: ACLU

Mandy Simon, (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org

Reporters’ Phone Records Tracked by CIA in May 2006

ACLU Slams Agency for Infringing on First and Fourth Amendment Rights

WASHINGTON - December 9 - ABC News revealed that its reporters' phone calls are being tracked by the CIA in an effort to reveal confidential sources. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union condemned the CIA's actions and called on Congress to increase oversight and accountability over the intelligence community.

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Posted in civil liberties, domestic spying, fisa, journalism

Bush Administration Faces New Challenges to Spying Powers

A federal judge who earlier rejected Bush administration claims that it was exempt from laws governing domestic surveillance was asked Tuesday to strike down an act of Congress that grants retroactive immunity for illegal wiretapping.

In a separate challenge of presidential power over national security affairs, lawyers for the now-defunct Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation asked the same judge in San Francisco to allow them to sue for illegal monitoring by the National Security Agency.

Posted in domestic spying, fisa

Obama and the Imperial Presidency

Barack Obama enters the White House with more constitutional and legal power than any president in US history. One of his biggest problems will be figuring out what to do with it.

Posted in beyond obama, fisa, guantanamo

Bush Spy Revelations Anticipated When Obama Is Sworn In

When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on January 20, Americans won't just get a new president; they might finally learn the full extent of George W. Bush's warrantless domestic wiretapping.

Posted in beyond obama, domestic spying, fisa