FISA Reform
It's Never Too Late to Think about NSA's CDR Collection Program
Susan Landau Mon, Jun 22, 2020, 3:49 PM
My new paper examines three critical issues in the NSA’s collection of Call Detail Records.
Latest in Section 215
Surveillance
Is Section 215 No Longer Worth the Effort?
Susan Landau Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 12:45 PM
Last week, reports surfaced from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal that the NSA may be shutting down the Section 215 program accessing domestic call detail records (CDRs).
Section 215
Telephony Metadata: Is the Contact-Chaining Program Unsalvageable?
Robert Chesney Wed, Mar 6, 2019, 1:26 PM
An apparent disclosure from a congressional staffer on the Lawfare Podcast has generated considerable buzz regarding the fate of a part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that currently
FISA: 215 Collection
DOJ OIG Report on Use of Section 215
Quinta Jurecic Thu, Sep 29, 2016, 2:49 PM
The Office of Inspector General for the Department of Justice has released an unclassified version of a report on the FBI's use of Section 215 from 2012-2014. The classified version of the report was provided to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, House Committee on the Judiciary, and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in June 2016 as required under the USA FREEDOM Act, along with select members of Congressional oversight committees.
The Cyberlaw Podcast
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast: An Interview with Gen. Michael Hayden
Stewart Baker Wed, May 4, 2016, 2:38 PM
Our guest for episode 114 is General Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA and CIA; he also confirms that he personally wrote every word of his fine book, Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror.
FISA
ODNI Releases Three FISC Opinions
Cody M. Poplin Wed, Apr 20, 2016, 1:25 PM
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released three redacted Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinions (FISC) yesterday, respectively on a pen register and trap-and-trace case, Section 702 certifications, and the Government's first application for orders requiring the production of call records under the USA FREEDOM Act.
Surveillance
NSA Releases USA Freedom Act Transparency Report
Cody M. Poplin Fri, Jan 15, 2016, 12:30 PM
The National Security Agency has released a new report on the implementation of the USA Freedom Act, outlining the specific procedures adopted by the Attorney General and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that are designed to protect privacy rights.
The Cyberlaw Podcast
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast, Episode #96: An Interview with Senator Tom Cotton
Stewart Baker Wed, Jan 13, 2016, 2:15 PM
How do you graduate as a conservative with two Harvard degrees? We learn this and much more from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), our guest for episode 96 . We dive deep with the Senator on the 215 metadata program and its USA FREEDOM Act replacement. We ask what the future holds for the 702 program, one of the most important counterterrorism programs and just entering yet another round of jockeying over renewal; Sen. Cotton has already come out in favor of making the program permanent. To round things out, Sen.
FISA: 215 Collection
New National Security Tool Activated At Challenging Time
Glenn Gerstell Thu, Jan 7, 2016, 7:38 AM
Late last year, a judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court gave the green light to the National Security Agency to start using a new tool to help the government protect against international terrorism while balancing the legitimate need to protect privacy and civil liberties. The USA FREEDOM Act, passed by Congress last June, ended the government’s ability to collect information about Americans’ phone calls in bulk under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, and replaced it with a new arrangement – initiated with court approval on Nov.
The Cyberlaw Podcast
Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast, Episode #90: An Interview with Charlie Savage
Stewart Baker Wed, Nov 25, 2015, 7:14 AM
Our guest for episode 90 is Charlie Savage, New York Times reporter, talking about Power Wars, his monumental new book on the law and politics of terrorism in the Obama (and Bush) administrations.