POGO Urges Congress to Advance Strong Election Security and Paper Ballot Measures

The Senate is preparing to hold a committee mark up of the Secure Elections Act, legislation that would provide various forms of assistance to states to bolster election security. However, reports indicate the Senate Rules Committee may water down the bill before advancing it to the Senate floor, notably provisions supporting paper ballots and post election audits. These measures are critical components of election integrity, which is why POGO joined a broad bipartisan coalition in urging Senators not to weaken the Secure Elections Act.

POGO Urges DHS to Abandon Problematic Social Media Collection Plan

The Department of Homeland Security is planning to ask visa applicants to provide social media identifiers. This ill-advised policy would endanger individuals from countries where their online activism is targeted by authoritarian governments, chill expression, and subject applications to overbroad surveillance. POGO joined 56 civil society groups in comments requesting DHS withdraw the proposal.

Civil Society Urges Congress to Rein in Surveillance Authorization

A bipartisan coalition of 44 organizations today urged members of the House of Representatives to vote "YES" on the USA RIGHTS amendment and "NO" on theFISA Amendments Reauthorization Act (S. 139) if the USA RIGHTS amendment does not pass.

Explaining Secret Surveillance

Americans are dangerously vulnerable to unchecked FISA surveillance, but the discussion of the Carter Page warrant misses the real problem.

Privacy After Carpenter: We Need Warrants for Real-Time Tracking and “Electronic Exhaustion”

The Supreme Court’s Carpenter decision greatly expanded location privacy rights, but serious problems remain. Congress should act swiftly to enact a warrant requirement for real-time cellphone tracking and create “electronic exhaustion.”

The Carpenter Decision: A Huge Step Forward for Privacy Rights but Major Problems Remain

The Supreme Court's decision in Carpenter v. United States will create significant privacy protections, and lays the foundation for how the Fourth Amendment will function in the digital age. However, significant issues remain.

ICE Backs Down on “Extreme Vetting” Automated Social Media Scanning

In a major victory for civil rights and civil liberties advocates, ICE has shut down its plan to include unreliable automated social media scanning as part of an “Extreme Vetting” program. However ICE’s plans for Extreme Vetting are still problematic, especially its plan to employ a quota system for monitoring rather than an objective standard for establishing threats.

Three Key Reforms for Facial Recognition and Body Cameras

Police departments are moving forward with plans to incorporate real-time facial recognition in body cameras, creating serious risks to privacy and due process rights. Before adding facial recognition to body cameras, law enforcement should enact three critical safeguards.

Election Security Needs to Begin Long Before Ballots Are Cast

Protecting our registration rolls from malicious hacking is critical to preserving the integrity of our election system, and needs to be a significant part of heightened efforts to increase election security.

With #ReleaseTheMemo, Nunes Hopes You Won’t Understand FISA

FISA, a highly complex law, has two provisions particularly relevant to the Nunes memo and the hypocrisy surrounding the Republicans’ sudden concern about it.

After 'Foreign Surveillance' Law, Congress Must Demand Answers from Intelligence Community

Senators voting on a new NSA director should set a strong but simple condition for their approval: In order to be confirmed, the next NSA director must publicly commit to Congress that that the NSA will provide an estimate of the number of Americans affected by Section 702.

Facts on FISA: Correcting the Record on the Section 702 House Floor Debate

As we move forward with this new iteration of Section 702, it’s critical to look back at the debate and correct the record on inaccurate statements about this law and the proposals to reauthorize it. The following is a compilation of all factual errors that I uncovered while reviewing the entire floor debate, with explanations and corrections.

Despite Years of Recommendations, Government Still Rewards Bad Policies for Body Cameras

If body cameras are to live up to their potential as an oversight mechanism meant to check abuse, rules need to be in place providing public access to body camera footage in a way that ensures accountability.

As Clock Ticks Down on Warrantless-Surveillance Authority, Congress Races to the Bottom

Efforts by Congress to reauthorize the controversial warrantless-surveillance authority vary significantly for privacy and whistleblower protections, but the latest is by far the worst.