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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1,805 Articles
A dark wooden library with long tables with chairs and lamps for people to work at. People are scattered in seats along the tables. A book stands at the forefront of the photograph with a reading lamp above it.

Surveillance and Privacy Scholars: Four Things the Government Needs From You

Adam Klein, who recently served as Chair of Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), calls for specific lines of scholarly research and analysis.
Surveillance cameras cover a pole on the corner of Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 6, 2019.

What Biden Needs to Say About Surveillance Tech and Foreign Policy

Western countries have critiqued China's use of surveillance tech while continuing to export these tools. It's time to align human rights and trade policies.
Side by side images of a plaque reading “Committee on the Budget” and a digital graphic of a face made of up of wires, numbers, and a grid like facial recognition or AI. The back of the head dissolves to numbers floating in a trail behind the head.

Artificial Intelligence in the Intelligence Community: The Tangled Web of Budget & Acquisition

To successfully integrate AI into the IC, budget and acquisition processes must increase in speed, flexibility, and simplicity.
Three people check Facebook over tea and food at a teashop in Yangon, Myanmar.

Q&A on Court Ordering Facebook to Disclose Content on Myanmar Genocide

Implications for future investigations and more...
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) listen during the Select Committee investigation of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, during their first hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2021.

Congress’ Access to Individuals’ Private Communications: The Jan. 6 Committee’s Troubling Precedent

How and why federal law — Stored Communications Act — and Constitution may block January 6 Committee’s ability to subpoena telecommunications content.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) listen to testimony from DC Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on US Capitol on July 27, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.

In the Wake of the January 6 Attacks, Will Congress and the Administration Heed the Lessons of 9/11?

The need to respond forcefully to the insurrection should not be conflated with the need for new legal authorities.
The White House lawn on a sunny day with the White House in the background.

The Executive Branch Needs Intelligence Oversight Reform

The PIOB and PCLOB should be combined into a single White House civil liberties and compliance office, with an expanded mission.
Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

Paradigm Shift: The Consequences of Choosing a War Path, and Leaving It

We owe it to the next generation to grapple now with the consequences of remaining at war -- as well as the consequences of choosing not to be -- lest we find ourselves reflexively…
Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

The Legacy of 9/11: Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Spotlights and Blind Spots

(Editor’s note: This essay is part of a Symposium published for the twentieth anniversary of September 11th; co-organized by Just Security and the Reiss Center on Law and Security.)…
Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

The Costs of 9/11’s Suspicionless Surveillance: Suppressing Communities of Color and Political Dissent

The domestic intelligence system has grown dramatically since 9/11, often targeting Muslims, people of color, and political movements. It's time to rethink the system.
Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

Five Principles to End the Forever War

A comprehensive and detailed guide to ending the Forever War and enhancing American security.
Two tall greyscale rectangles cast dark shadows representing the Twin Towers. Text reads, “How Perpetual War Has Changed Us: Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11”

In the “War on Terror,” What Did Rights Organizations Get Wrong?

A leading human rights lawyer raises provocative questions about track record of U.S. human rights organizations. An essay in advance of a live event on Thursday night to discuss…
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