Tag: NSA

The 3rd hearing of the LIBE inquiry into massive electronic surveillance, held on September 24. MEPs called on the Commission to suspend the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP), an agreement that allows for transfer of bank data (from the SWIFT database) to the US authorities for the fight against terrorism and terrorist financing.

Among the many revelations to come out of this summer, The New York Times recently announced that the NSA has been conducting a systematic and well-funded effort to install “backdoors” in consumer electronic devices, known as “Project Bullrun.” To better understand their history, how they can work, and the risks associated, here are three things you ought to know about backdoors.

On September 5th, the LIBE Committee held the first of a series of hearings as part of the inquiry on “Electronic Mass Surveillance of EU Citizen”s established on July 10 by the Libe Committee. The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate into the NSA and other surveillance programmes, and examine whether those programmes are compatible with EU law.

Coming on the heels of an announcement yesterday that the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence will start releasing a transparency report of national security-related requests for user data, the US government disappointingly will be filing a motion to block Google and Microsoft from voluntarily disclosing similar statistics in the company’s own transparency reports.

This week, Access joined with 65 organizations and individuals from 25 countries to urge the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) to consider the global human rights implications of the U.S. National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance programs.

Over the last few weeks, nearly every day has brought with it a new disclosure in the NSA surveillance scandal: a new target uncovered or a new foreign government intelligence agency found to be complicit. Yet, with limited public outcry in the United States, one can’t help but wonder if — and why — citizens of other Western democracies may be more offended over this spying than Americans themselves. But Despite the differences in public expectations, will these disclosures, and ensuing outcry, lead to concrete (and much needed) reforms on privacy? (English translation of article published in German in Frankfurter Allgemeine on August 10, 2013).

Expressing concern about public confidence in the U.S. National Security Agency, President Obama announced today four proposals to reform U.S. surveillance practice. However, even if enacted, these proposals would still fail to actually protect the basic civil liberties of U.S. and non-U.S. persons.

The Amash-Conyers amendment, the U.S. Congress’ first attempt to limit the NSA surveillance, may have been unsuccessful. But its narrow loss demonstrates the growing force behind the call to reform these programs. To know where we go from here, its important to look at the potential impact of this amendment.

In less than 24 hours the U.S. Congress will vote on an amendment that could help put an end to the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of telecommunications metadata, offering the first legislative opportunity to begin to rein in U.S. government’s massive spying program.

Representatives from the NSA, FBI, and DOJ faced serious scrutiny before the US House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in a hearing on the ‘Administration’s use of FISA Authorities.’ The defining narrative of the hearing came from the Members themselves, who indignantly contended that Congress had been largely kept in the dark about the nature and scope of the surveillance programs.