Intelligence & Surveillance

Just Security’s expert authors provide legal and policy analysis of intelligence and surveillance activities, focusing on their impact on national security and on civil liberties and privacy rights, and their oversight by Congress and the courts.

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1,846 Articles
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, USA. Blue Sky with Puffy clouds, Street, Rickshaw, Passersby and Green Trees are in the image. Wide angle lens.

The Truth Behind Section 702 Query Statistics

Authors write that Congress must now impose a warrant requirement for Section 702 access to Americans' communications.

A Response to the Brennan Center’s “Myths and Facts” on Section 702 Backdoor Searches

A warrant mandate is unnecessary, legally mistaken, and damaging to national security as the program faces expiration on April 20, 2026.
​Wide angle shot of a U.S. Capitol Police ​officer stand​ing in a ​dim hallway ​inside the U.S. Capitol​. A bright light illuminates the space from above.

Claude and the Constitution: Questions Congress Should Ask Before Renewing Section 702

Experts share questions Congress, journalists, and the public should ask executive branch officials on surveillance authorities.
An aerial view of a graveyard

When Intelligence Fails: A Legal Targeting Analysis of the Minab School Strike

The law of armed conflict demands that we take the Minab school strike seriously to learn, to reform, and to prevent the next failure.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the press before briefing House and Senate leaders on US military action in Iran, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 2, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Double Preemption, Imminence, and the U.S. Attack Against Iran

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s argument that Operation Epic Fury was an act of preemptive self-defense is not credible and does not satisfy the necessary precondition.
The Department of Justice

How a Broadly Defined Counterterrorism Statute Could Be Abused

18 U.S.C. § 2339A doesn’t require proof of group membership or terrorist intent, and the policy framework around it outweighs any single verdict.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gestures near a podium in front of an American flag.

Big Tech’s Moment of Truth on AI Safety

AI companies should resist the urge to undercut Anthropic and use their collective leverage to make clear that access to frontier models comes with limits.
Two women wearing t-shirts under bulletproof vests, helmets and handcuffs, are escorted by armed guards on either side, walking up stairs to a court building. The vests and helmets have the letters BJMP on them, for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, part of the country's Ministry of the Interior.

The Philippines Is Jailing Journalists in the Name of “Terror Financing”: Why the World Should Be Alarmed

The case of a jailed journalist in the Philippines is a warning for how efforts to counter terrorism financing can be manipulated into political tools of repression.
Military unmanned aerial vehicle at sunset.

Is the U.S. Conducting Air Strikes Against Al Qaeda in Yemen?

Despite official silence, multiple reports indicate renewed U.S. drone strikes in Yemen targeting AQAP militants, reviving debates on transparency and endless war.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia (center top row) (D-CA) speaks during a hearing with committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (top right) (R-KY) at the U.S. Capitol January 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

How Congress Can Give Epstein Survivors the Investigation They Deserve, Starting with Compelling Maxwell to Testify

Congress should use its authority to investigate fully, by compelling Maxwell to testify without granting her any pardon for her serious crimes.
Visualization of cybersecurity

U.S. Withdrawal from International Cyber Organizations Weakens Global Cooperation Against Cyber Threats

The U.S. withdrawal from international cyber organizations will hamper intelligence sharing, coordinated response, and joint capabilities.
two fishermen in the foreground, the USSS Gravely in the background, on the open sea.

Can the U.S. Government Be Sued for Wrongful Death in a Caribbean Boat Strike?

In Burnley v. United States, relatives sue on behalf of two Trinidadian men killed in a boat strike, confronting U.S. sovereign immunity and the political question doctrine.
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