POGO and Allies Urge Improvements to Surveillance Law

POGO, OpenTheGovernment.org, and National Security Counselors have presented the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) with a number of recommendations to create a more transparent and accountable national security apparatus.

Secret Court Resists Releasing Surveillance Opinions

Transparency advocates have long called for the declassification of secret court opinions that have allowed broad domestic surveillance. A recent letter from the court responsible for approving surveillance requests casts doubt on the release of these opinions, but on questionable grounds.

Electronic Surveillance Law 101

The recent whistleblowing disclosures by Edward Snowden have revealed systemic mass domestic surveillance. The government has justified its programs on the grounds that they are both legal and overseen by the FISA Court. But what do the PATRIOT Act, FISA, and the FISA Court actually do?