Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: June 7, 2013

DNI Statement on Recent Unauthorized Disclosures of Classified Information

Follow up to previous postings: UK Guardian – Verizon forced to hand over telephone data – full court rulingEPIC: Sweeping NSA Domestic Surveillance Order Approved Without Any Ties to Foreign Intelligence Collection and EPIC – Congress Begins Investigation of NSA Domestic Surveillance Program see:

DNI Statement on Recent Unauthorized Disclosures of Classified Information, June 6, 2013: “The highest priority of the Intelligence Community is to work within the constraints of law to collect, analyze and understand information related to potential threats to our national security. The unauthorized disclosure of a top secret U.S. court document threatens potentially long-lasting and irreversible harm to our ability to identify and respond to the many threats facing our nation. The article omits key information regarding how a classified intelligence collection program is used to prevent terrorist attacks and the numerous safeguards that protect privacy and civil liberties. I believe it is important for the American people to understand the limits of this targeted counterterrorism program and the principles that govern its use. In order to provide a more thorough understanding of the program, I have directed that certain information related to the “business records” provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act be declassified and immediately released to the public.”

See also New York Times – Tech Companies Concede to Surveillance Program

Commentary – Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have ‘Nothing to Hide’

Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have ‘Nothing to Hide’ By Daniel J. Solove Most attempts to understand privacy do so by attempting to locate its essence—its core characteristics or the common denominator that links together the various things we classify under the rubric of “privacy.” Privacy, however, is too complex a concept to be reduced… Continue Reading

Presentation – Finding or Compiling Federal Legislative Histories Electronically

Via Rick McKinney – “Recently, at a Congressional Information Symposium sponsored by the Arizona Association of Law Libraries, I gave a presentation entitled “Finding or Compiling Federal Legislative Histories Electronically.” The eight page PDF handout containing more than 240 links, which accompanied the presentation, is hosted on the Legislative Source Book of the Law Librarians’… Continue Reading

EPIC – Congress Begins Investigation of NSA Domestic Surveillance Program

EPIC: “Following the revelation of that the National Security Agency is monitoring domestic communications, members of Congress are initiating new oversight proceedings. The Senate Intelligence Committee will review the program’s legal authority. Members of the House Judiciary Committee wrote to President Obama, saying, “We believe this type of program is far too broad and inconsistent… Continue Reading