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Tag: NSA

What we know now: 365 days of surveillance revelations

5 Jun 2014

Access sums up the past year of surveillance revelations and asks: given what we know now about the extent of government surveillance, what will we know next?

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What we know now: 365 days of surveillance revelations
5 Jun 2014
What we know now: 365 days of surveillance revelations

Snowden Revelations – One year later

5 Jun 2014

On June 5, 2013, The Guardian revealed the first in a series of classified National Security Agency (NSA) document leaks provided by former government contractor Edward Snowden. The first document we saw contained an order requiring Verizon to hand over all customer metadata on “an ongoing, daily basis” to the NSA and FBI, a surveillance program as egregious as it is disproportionate. The leaked documents that followed revealed further evidence of widespread user surveillance and bulk data collection by the NSA and Britain’s GCHQ. These included tapping into Apple, Google, and Microsoft servers and listening in on private mobile phone and Skype calls. Across the world, internet users and foreign government officials alike soon learned that they were unknowing targets of NSA spying tactics.

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Snowden Revelations – One year later
5 Jun 2014
Snowden Revelations – One year later

‘NSA Gone Wild’ in the Bahamas, Mexico, Kenya, the Philippines and more

22 May 2014

Per the latest Snowden revelation, the NSA is recording all call content in at least two countries

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‘NSA Gone Wild’ in the Bahamas, Mexico, Kenya, the Philippines and more
22 May 2014
‘NSA Gone Wild’ in the Bahamas, Mexico, Kenya, the Philippines and more

Gutted version of USA FREEDOM Act passes the House

22 May 2014

The revised House bill doesn’t move us forward on NSA reform, now it’s up to the Senate

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Gutted version of USA FREEDOM Act passes the House
22 May 2014
Gutted version of USA FREEDOM Act passes the House

Congressional Committee Adopts Amendment to Remove NSA From Crypto Standards Process

21 May 2014

On May 21, 2014, by voice vote the House Science and Technology Committee adopted an amendment to the FIRST Act removing the requirement that NSA be consulted on encryption standards. The Amendment was authored by Congressman Alan Grayson.

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Congressional Committee Adopts Amendment to Remove NSA From Crypto Standards Process
21 May 2014
Congressional Committee Adopts Amendment to Remove NSA From Crypto Standards Process

Updated: Amended USA FREEDOM Act passes out of House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence

7 May 2014

Today, the USA FREEDOM Act, in an amended form, passed out of the House Judiciary Committee by a unanimous vote of 32-0 (7 not voting). Among several legislative proposals to reform the NSA currently discussed by U.S. Congress, Access believes there is only one that will meaningfully change foreign intelligence surveillance: the USA FREEDOM Act.

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Updated: Amended USA FREEDOM Act passes out of House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence
7 May 2014
Updated: Amended USA FREEDOM Act passes out of House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence

Access and partners call on NIST to strengthen cryptography standards

22 Apr 2014

Following revelations that the National Security Agency (NSA) deliberately weakened cryptographic standards put out by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NIST recently proposed a series of principles to guide cryptography standards-setting going forward. Access, together with a coalition of eleven other digital rights, technology, privacy, and open government groups, submitted a letter today calling on NIST to strengthen cryptography principles, noting in particular that the principles must be “modified and amended to provide greater transparency and access.”

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Access and partners call on NIST to strengthen cryptography standards
22 Apr 2014
Access and partners call on NIST to strengthen cryptography standards

Follow along: the saga of the Heartbleed and the NSA

14 Apr 2014

Access provides a timeline and analysis of the Heartbleed vulnerability

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Follow along: the saga of the Heartbleed and the NSA
14 Apr 2014
Follow along: the saga of the Heartbleed and the NSA

How the NSA reform proposals stack up

10 Apr 2014

In the wake of the ongoing revelations about NSA surveillance, Access releases an infographic measuring how the leading four reform proposals stack up against the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance.

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How the NSA reform proposals stack up
10 Apr 2014
How the NSA reform proposals stack up

UN Human Rights Committee calls for U.S. surveillance reform

1 Apr 2014

Last Thursday, the U.N. Human Rights Committee released a report criticizing NSA surveillance, for among things, failing to protect rights of non-U.S. persons. The Committee’s report comes in the context of its overall review of civil and political rights in the U.S. in accordance with its treaty obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

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UN Human Rights Committee calls for U.S. surveillance reform
1 Apr 2014
UN Human Rights Committee calls for U.S. surveillance reform