Controversial NSA Surveillance Programs Up for Renewal at Year’s … – Government Technology
(TNS) -- WASHINGTON Nearly four years after National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden blew the lid off domestic spying, the vast surveillance programs cherished as the crown jewels of the U.S. intelligence establishment are about to spring back into public debate and not just because of Donald Trumps allegation that hes been the subject of wiretaps.
The legal framework for some of the broadest U.S. surveillance programs, authorized for a five-year period in 2012, will expire Dec. 31 unless Congress reauthorizes it. Already, the debate about those programs has begun, with members of the Senate Intelligence Committee focused on finding an answer to a simple question: How many Americans have emails, text messages and telephone conversations picked up in the governments electronic sweep?
Is it a few thousand? Or is it a lot higher?
We need that number, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told Dan Coats, Trumps nominee to serve as director of national intelligence, at a confirmation hearing Feb. 28. We have sought it for years and years. More and more Americans are getting swept up in these searches.
Wyden pressed Coats on whether he would nail down a number. Coats hedged.
It has been extremely hard to come up with that number for various reasons which I dont fully understand, said Coats, a former member of the Intelligence Committee now weighing his nomination. I will do my best to work to try to find out if we can get that number, but I need first to talk find out about why we cant get it.
Trumps allegation that President Barack Obama ordered his phones tapped last fall, a claim for which he has offered no evidence, has little to do with the coming debate. But it is an indication of the sensitivities surrounding surveillance practices that do not cleave easily along party lines.
While the issue is often cast as a balance of privacy vs. national security, many Republicans, especially those with libertarian streaks, are troubled by what they see as invasive practices. And many Democrats offer strong support of the intelligence community.
At a separate hearing before a House of Representatives committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who earns a perfect score from the American Conservative Union, read incredulously a response he had gotten to his official query to the U.S. intelligence director in which he was told it would be difficult if not impossible to calculate the number of Americans whose communications are intercepted.
That seems like baloney to me, Jordan said. Were talking about the greatest intelligence service on the planet. Youd think they would be able to know that, right?
Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat far to Jordans political left, said, The government can, and does, collect massive amounts of information about our citizens under this authority.
At hearings, Snowdens name hardly arises. But few doubt that his revelations in 2013 helped mold the current debate. Worldwide, Snowden is seen from sharply distinct angles traitor and villain, or global celebrity for data privacy. From his exile in Moscow, where he fled after spilling the secrets, Snowden continues to cast a long shadow.
It was his disclosures that let Americans and people around the world learn of NSA programs like PRISM, Dishfire and XKeyscore, which, respectively, allowed for the monitoring of electronic data retrieved from nine large tech companies, grabbed 200 million text messages a day and saw nearly everything a targeted user did on the internet.
Leaders of allied nations like Germany and Brazil bristled when they learned from Snowdens disclosures that their officials were among dozens of leaders tapped by the NSA.
Much of the bulk collection of data by the NSA was rolled back or halted in 2015 under the USA Freedom Act.
On Capitol Hill, Snowdens name is sometimes uttered with revulsion mixed with recognition that his actions accelerated change.
What he exposed, Im glad that we learned about it. It allowed us to make reforms that were necessary, said Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat who sits on the House Intelligence Committee. But the way that he did it was so reckless. He exposed information that put our troops at risk and hurt important relationships with our allies.
Trump called Snowden a terrible traitor in a 2013 television interview and suggested he should be executed.
Digital rights activists credit Snowden with forcing major intelligence agencies to talk more openly about surveillance.
What Snowden did was enable the debate and provide more disclosures by the intelligence community when it saw the debate move in a direction it didnt like, said Gregory T. Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a Washington research group that advocates for an open and free internet.
Civil rights activists voice concern over what they describe as gaps in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which provides the legal framework for the NSA to monitor non-U.S. persons without warrants.
As of 2015, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that 94,368 foreigners or entities abroad were targets of U.S. surveillance for intelligence purposes. The NSA is presumed to vacuum up hundreds of millions of electronic communications a year from those foreign targets, including any they may have had with Americans.
The impact is actually much greater than 94,000 because each of these individuals talks to potentially hundreds of people, said Neema Singh Guliani, legislative counsel for the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties Union.
How many Americans have their communications monitored in so-called incidental collection remains a guess. In the House hearing last week, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, pressed Elizabeth Goitein, an expert on surveillance at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School, for an estimate.
If you conservatively assume that even 1 out of 100 of every foreign targets communications was with an American that would still be millions of American communications, Goitein said.
Pressed further at another point, Goitein said: I had said millions earlier, which I think is conservative. Potentially tens of millions. I dont know. I really hesitate to speculate.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act regulations require the NSA, CIA and FBI all of which have access to the database of collected communications to minimize information about U.S. citizens or green card holders when it is incidentally swept up.
But the databases are widely available one report on how the FBI handles searches of the databases monitored use in 13 FBI field offices and agents in those offices can query the databases even when they have no suspicion of wrongdoing, said David Medine, who until July 1 was chair of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board, a bipartisan watchdog that seeks to ensure government compliance with privacy and civil liberties rules.
They are just sort of entitled to poke around and see if something is going on, Medine told a Senate panel in May.
Critics of Section 702 say that sort of backdoor search allows authorities to snoop on citizens without having to show probable cause and obtain constitutionally required warrants.
You have this authority, and the government says the goal is national security and to help us prevent terrorism. The reality is that they can collect information that has no connection to terrorism, national security or weapons of mass destruction, Guliani said.
Defenders of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act surveillance said they hoped legislators reauthorized its use. They say evidence of abuse is minimal.
Throughout my time at NSA, I routinely saw analysts self-report if they ran an improper query, April Doss, a former assistant general counsel at the agency, wrote in her submitted testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on March 1.
Auditors review logs for signs of improper queries, Doss said in an interview, calling existing laws robust and effective and noting the oversight of three branches of government.
Doss and other supporters of the status quo make an unusual argument: Simply trying to satisfy legislators who want to know how many U.S. citizens turn up in the electronic sweeping would require the NSA to act intrusively, would divert analysts from hunting terrorists and would possibly even break the law by actively tracking the Americans they find, raising new privacy concerns.
It would prompt intelligence analysts to look for communications that they would not otherwise see, communications that have no intelligence value, Doss said.
For his part, Swalwell, the California legislator, said convincing the citizenry that surveillance was being done properly was vital to the health of the intelligence community.
The more transparent we are about 702, the better, he said. When Americans understand how their government is protecting them, theyre more willing, I think, to go along with whats necessary to keep us safe.
2017 McClatchy Washington Bureau Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
See the rest here:
Controversial NSA Surveillance Programs Up for Renewal at Year's ... - Government Technology
- NSA rolls out digital skills, military training and smart reforms - GBC Ghana Online - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- Overheated Solar Panel Batteries Caused Fire at NSA Chiefs Residence - liberianobserver.com - October 9th, 2025 [October 9th, 2025]
- NSA Doval meets Brazilian counterpart to review cooperation in strategic areas | Latest News India - Hindustan Times - October 4th, 2025 [October 4th, 2025]
- Red Hat allegedly hit by huge breach exposing major organizations, including the NSA - Cybernews - October 2nd, 2025 [October 2nd, 2025]
- NSA officer injured after Maryland man drives through checkpoint, rams multiple police vehicles - WMAR 2 News Baltimore - September 30th, 2025 [September 30th, 2025]
- Why should officials not be fined: HC on illegal NSA arrest - The Times of India - September 30th, 2025 [September 30th, 2025]
- SKM demands to release Sonam Wangchuk, revoke imposition of NSA - The Times of India - September 30th, 2025 [September 30th, 2025]
- Seoul's NSA reportedly says S.Korea unable to pay $350b upfront in investment in US for tariff deal; weaponizing alliance exposes nature of US... - September 30th, 2025 [September 30th, 2025]
- 'Delhi banega Khalistan': Freed Khalistani terrorist out on bail in Canada threatens India, targets NSA A - The Times of India - September 30th, 2025 [September 30th, 2025]
- Two Days After His Detention Under NSA, Sonam Wangchuks Wife Says She Is Yet to Speak to Him - The Wire India - September 30th, 2025 [September 30th, 2025]
- Sonam Wangchuk detained under NSA: What to know about National Security Act - The Indian Express - September 28th, 2025 [September 28th, 2025]
- Evercore ISI Raises PT on National Storage Affiliates Trust (NSA) to $32, Maintains an Underperform Rating - Yahoo Finance - September 28th, 2025 [September 28th, 2025]
- Sonam Wangchuk Arrested under NSA: Ladakh admin explains why he was moved to Jodhpur jail - Mint - September 28th, 2025 [September 28th, 2025]
- NSA whistleblower Reality Winner on rebuilding her life in new memoir - MSN - September 21st, 2025 [September 21st, 2025]
- Assessing the Valuation of National Storage Affiliates Trust (NSA) After Recent Share Price Moves - simplywall.st - September 19th, 2025 [September 19th, 2025]
- NSA Warns iPhone And Android UsersClose All Apps If You See This - Forbes - September 17th, 2025 [September 17th, 2025]
- US' Ex-NSA John Bolton: Trump Should Call Modi, Fix Relations, And Visit India For QUAD Summit' - Times of India - September 17th, 2025 [September 17th, 2025]
- 'Come To India': Ex-NSA's Words Of Wisdom To Trump On Tariff, Indo-US Ties - Times of India - September 17th, 2025 [September 17th, 2025]
- Video NSA whistleblower Reality Winner on rebuilding her life in new memoir - ABC News - September 17th, 2025 [September 17th, 2025]
- Former US NSA calls India proud and strong, criticises Trumps India strategy - The Shillong Times - September 17th, 2025 [September 17th, 2025]
- Video | Ex-US NSA's Explosive Interview: 'Navarro Keeps Picking Fights' - NDTV - September 15th, 2025 [September 15th, 2025]
- NSA, EFCC, DSS urged to probe alleged funding of bandits in Zamfara - The Guardian Nigeria News - September 15th, 2025 [September 15th, 2025]
- Ex-US NSA Reveals Navarro Once Attempted Confrontation Between Donald Trump, PM Modi - News18 - September 15th, 2025 [September 15th, 2025]
- Navarro tried to provoke Modi-Trump clash, claims ex-US NSA; says India should ignore the sideshow - Moneycontrol - September 15th, 2025 [September 15th, 2025]
- 'Erratic behaviour': Ex-US NSA John Bolton slams Trumps India tariffs; rejects claim of brokering India- - The Times of India - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- Unqualified to be US Ambassador to India: Ex-US NSA slams Sergio Gor nomination; dismisses Navarros re - The Times of India - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- Trump's not thinking about the effects of his actions: Ex-US NSA John Bolton - The Times of India - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- NSA leaker Reality Winner is rebuilding her life -- and looking back at her past - NPR - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- India should see Trump as one-time proposition: Ex-US NSA John Bolton flags number of concerns on Indian side - Mint - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- Peter Navarro Tried To Start Fight Between Trump, PM Modi: Ex US NSA - NDTV - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- 'Erratic behaviour': Ex-US NSA John Bolton slams Trumps India tariffs; rejects claim of brokering India-Pak peace - MSN - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- India should see Trump as one-time proposition and act in its national interest: Ex-US NSA John Bolton - Tribune India - September 13th, 2025 [September 13th, 2025]
- Cyber Command, NSA to remain under single leader as officials shelve plan to end 'dual hat' - The Record from Recorded Future News - September 11th, 2025 [September 11th, 2025]
- Cyber Command, NSA to remain under the leadership of one person - SC Media - September 11th, 2025 [September 11th, 2025]
- CISA, NSA and Partners Release Shared Vision of Software Bill of Materials for Cybersecurity Guide - Homeland Security Today - September 11th, 2025 [September 11th, 2025]
- New Research Reveals How NSA is Affecting Providers, Consumers - MedLearn Publishing - September 11th, 2025 [September 11th, 2025]
- NSA, CISA and others urge for unified approach to strengthen cybersecurity resilience - Digital Watch Observatory - September 9th, 2025 [September 9th, 2025]
- Federal firefighter stationed at NSA Portsmouth saves passenger in cardiac arrest with life-saving CPR during flight - KREM - September 9th, 2025 [September 9th, 2025]
- NSA Director-General reassigned to Ministry of Finance - GhanaWeb - September 9th, 2025 [September 9th, 2025]
- Federal firefighter stationed at NSA Portsmouth saves passenger in cardiac arrest with life-saving CPR during flight - ABC10 - September 9th, 2025 [September 9th, 2025]
- Federal firefighter stationed at NSA Portsmouth saves passenger in cardiac arrest with life-saving CPR during flight - 12News - September 9th, 2025 [September 9th, 2025]
- Federal firefighter stationed at NSA Portsmouth saves passenger in cardiac arrest with life-saving CPR during flight - 13newsnow.com - September 6th, 2025 [September 6th, 2025]
- Trump expected to nominate Lt. Gen. William Hartman to lead NSA, Cyber Command - Politico - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- Trumps personal rapport with PM Modi is gone, says former US NSA John Bolton; warns ties wont shield le - The Times of India - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- Trump threw aside India ties for family's business with Pakistan, says Ex-US NSA Jake Sullivan | Latest News India - Hindustan Times - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- CISA, NSA, global partners release SBOM Guidance urging cross-border adoption to boost software supply chain security - Industrial Cyber - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- Trump wrecked India ties for business interests in Pakistan: Fmr NSA | World News - The Times of India - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- Core4ce Appoints Former NSA Cybersecurity Director David Luber to Board of Advisors - Business Wire - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- Court to Either Trash or Withhold Controversy 'NSA Calls Log Evidence' Today - liberianobserver.com - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- Trump-Modi's very good relationship is gone now: Former US NSA Bolton - Business Standard - September 5th, 2025 [September 5th, 2025]
- 'Threw India ties aside for Pakistan business': Ex-US NSA Jake Sullivan blasts Trump; calls it a 'huge st - The Times of India - September 3rd, 2025 [September 3rd, 2025]
- Former NSA Jake Sullivan accuses Trump of prioritising familys business ventures in Pakistan over India relations - The Indian Express - September 3rd, 2025 [September 3rd, 2025]
- Predicting NSA.PRA trend using moving averages - Trade Volume Report & AI Powered Buy/Sell Recommendations - Newser - September 3rd, 2025 [September 3rd, 2025]
- Is it time to cut losses on NSA.PRA - 2025 Year in Review & Real-Time Buy Zone Alerts - Newser - September 3rd, 2025 [September 3rd, 2025]
- Can trapped investors hope for a rebound in NSA.PRB - July 2025 Action & Daily Profit Focused Stock Screening - Newser - September 1st, 2025 [September 1st, 2025]
- Price action breakdown for NSA.PRA - July 2025 Pullbacks & Risk Adjusted Buy/Sell Alerts - Newser - September 1st, 2025 [September 1st, 2025]
- Can a trend reversal in NSA.PRA lead to recovery - CPI Data & AI Powered Buy and Sell Recommendations - Newser - September 1st, 2025 [September 1st, 2025]
- NSA, Other Agencies Release Advisory Against China-Sponsored Cyberthreats - ExecutiveGov - August 29th, 2025 [August 29th, 2025]
- NSA, NCSC, and allies detailed TTPs associated with Chinese APT actors targeting critical infrastructure Orgs - Security Affairs - August 29th, 2025 [August 29th, 2025]
- Former National Security Agency (NSA) Director and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command Joins Accrete, Inc. as Strategic Board Advisor - Yahoo Finance - August 29th, 2025 [August 29th, 2025]
- NSA.PRA stock outlook for YEAR - Quarterly Profit Summary & Long-Term Safe Investment Ideas - Newser - August 29th, 2025 [August 29th, 2025]
- NSA, FBI, Others Say Chinese Tech Firms are Aiding Salt Typhoon Attacks - Security Boulevard - August 29th, 2025 [August 29th, 2025]
- American brand globally is in the toilet: Former US NSA Jake Sullivan says Trumps massive trade offen - The Times of India - August 29th, 2025 [August 29th, 2025]
- CISA, NSA, And FBI Warn Of Ongoing Chinese State-Sponsored Cyber Espionage - Information Security Buzz - August 29th, 2025 [August 29th, 2025]
- What recovery options are there for NSA.PRA - July 2025 Update & Verified Momentum Watchlists - Newser - August 27th, 2025 [August 27th, 2025]
- Top Resilience and Healthcare Keynote Speaker, Artist, Burn Survivor, and Entrepreneur, Allison Massari, Inducted into NSA Speaker Hall of Fame--A... - August 27th, 2025 [August 27th, 2025]
- Top Resilience and Healthcare Keynote Speaker, Artist, Burn Survivor, and Entrepreneur, Allison Massari, Inducted into NSA Speaker Hall of Famea... - August 27th, 2025 [August 27th, 2025]
- Joseph Francescon Announced as Next NSA Deputy Director - Homeland Security Today - August 26th, 2025 [August 26th, 2025]
- Former National Security Agency (NSA) Director and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command Joins Accrete, Inc. as Strategic Board Advisor - PR Newswire - August 26th, 2025 [August 26th, 2025]
- Former CRPF DG Anish Dayal Singh appointed deputy NSA - The Hindu - August 26th, 2025 [August 26th, 2025]
- FBI raids Trump ex-NSA John Bolton days after outburst on India tariff - Tribune India - August 24th, 2025 [August 24th, 2025]
- Is NSA.PRA reversing from oversold territory - 2025 Short Interest & Risk Adjusted Buy and Sell Alerts - Newser - August 24th, 2025 [August 24th, 2025]
- Will a bounce in NSA.PRB offer an exit - Swing Trade & Weekly Top Performers Watchlists - Newser - August 24th, 2025 [August 24th, 2025]
- Who is John Bolton? From Trump's ex-NSA to FBI target in classified information probe - Hindustan Times - Hindustan Times - August 22nd, 2025 [August 22nd, 2025]
- Former intelligence analyst is named NSA deputy director - The Washington Post - August 22nd, 2025 [August 22nd, 2025]
- FBI Raids Former US NSA John Bolton's Home Days After He Criticised Trump's Tariffs On India - Republic World - August 22nd, 2025 [August 22nd, 2025]
- FBI raids home of former NSA John Bolton as part of investigation into classified documents - Audacy - August 22nd, 2025 [August 22nd, 2025]
- 'Sanctions don't prohibit': Former Trump NSA John Bolton on India buying Russian oil | Latest News India - Hindustan Times - Hindustan Times - August 22nd, 2025 [August 22nd, 2025]
- FBI raids Trump's former NSA John Bolton's Maryland residence after India tariffs outburst - theweek.in - August 22nd, 2025 [August 22nd, 2025]
- FBI raids ex-Trump NSA John Boltons house, days after he criticised penalty tariffs on India - ThePrint - August 22nd, 2025 [August 22nd, 2025]