Pages tagged Surveillance

Almost one year after the first Snowden leaks revealed that the U.S. government has been leading a massive surveillance operation against its own citizens, Congress may finally pass its very first piece of NSA reform legislation. But how much would it actually reform? The answer isn't as clear as the American public deserves.

Here's what we know: Almost a year ago, we discovered that the NSA was spying on innocent American citizens, including gathering phone records and online data, tracking the location of cellphones, storing personal details of phone calls and other communications for up to five years, and more....

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On April 25th we hosted our annual Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards Gala here in Washington and social media was a buzz throughout the event. This year, we honored Senator George J. Mitchell for his extraordinary career in public service, Participant Media for their vision and leadership in social justice, and Martin Luther King III for the legacy of his family and the work he does to keep their vision alive. Gibran was an evening for our community to reconnect, celebrate our achievements, and reflect on the path that lies ahead. Read more

With elections season on its way, political commentators more often than not love to interpret special elections and significant political events as a sign of things to come in November. The prevailing notion right now - even among some Democrats, it seems - is that Democrats are toast in November because of Obamacare, and will likely lose the Senate as a result. Read more

Chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), won’t bash the National Security Agency (NSA) for spying on everyday Americans - in fact she stood by the NSA after the Snowden revelations - but if you spy on her Senate staff, she’s coming after you. That’s the lesson CIA Director John Brennan is learning right now after Senator Feinstein’s heated speech on the Senate floor yesterday. Read more

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech directly to 300 Israeli students and youth leaders in Ramallah to discuss the peace process. Taking a page from the Obama playbook, Abbas went over Netanyahu’s head and spoke directly to the Israeli public to outline the Palestinian position on peace negotiations. Read more

We don’t have to tell you that resolving the crisis in Syria hasn’t been easy. Russia has offered to meet directly with the United States to discuss Syria after the first Geneva II negotiations did not produce much substance, and it was also revealed that Syria is behind schedule in shipping out its chemical weapons arsenal. Still, there is a small piece of good news that could have a big impact for those suffering in Syria: in a welcome step, the Obama administration announced it will ease some restrictions to allow more Syrian refugees to resettle in the United States. Read more

On Friday, January 17, 2014, President Obama offered his much anticipated speech on surveillance. While advocates were hopeful that the President's remarks would support significant reforms to curb mass surveillance, his remarks fell short of expectations. Read more

The President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, tasked with reviewing the NSA’s surveillance program, released its highly anticipated report yesterday. President Obama did not offer any statements assessing the Group’s recommendations, but in a released statement, the White House said, “Over the next several weeks, as we bring to a close the Administration’s overall review of signals intelligence, the President will work with his national security team to study the Review Group’s report, and to determine which recommendations we should implement. The President will also continue consulting with Congress as reform proposals are considered in each chamber.” Read more

By Isaac Levey Legal Fellow The controversial National Security Agency (NSA) program that collects Americans’ phone records received its first public judicial setback yesterday, with a federal court finding that it probably violates the United States Constitution. The ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia concluded that the program most likely violated the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits the government from conducting “unreasonable searches and seizures.” The government will almost certainly appeal, and Judge Richard J. Leon’s order to stop collection won’t take effect until the appellate process is complete. Read more

We know, it’s sad, but yes, this is in fact the last Countdown of the year. We promise to come back in 2014 with even better material as we aim to give you a unique breakdown and topical analysis of issues in the U.S. and Middle East. Read more