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.
1,805 Articles

On El Salvador’s 1981 El Mozote Massacre, President Bukele Sides With Impunity
Survivors of the largest single massacre in modern Latin American history want him charged for failure to comply with a judicial order for documents.

Investigation Highlights Transparency Need on US, UK Roles in Kenyan Counterterrorism
If true, the cases further spotlight the doublespeak by the US and the UK on accountability for security force abuses in Kenya.

A Blueprint for the Future: The CIA in 2021 and Beyond
Four basic prescriptions for the CIA that must be addressed under the next administration, no matter who wins in November.

Good Governance Paper No. 4: Oversight of the Intelligence Community
Fourth essay in a series of top experts exploring proposals to restore and promote nonpartisan principles of good government, public integrity, and the rule of law.

App Stores as Back-Doors for Government Regulation of End-to-End Encryption
App stores make natural chokepoints for de facto government regulation, without the long and politically expensive process of legislation. But the privacy and security implications…

Prosecuting the ISIS “Beatles:” A testament to dedicated US government professionalism
On the eight-year history that led to this point.

Senate Procedures Offer No Hope for Dems on Supreme Court Nominee
An explainer on why quorum requirements, closure vote thresholds, and other Senate procedures can't significantly slow or stop the nomination of the next Supreme Court Justice.…

It’s Assange in the Dock, But It’s National Security Journalism on Trial
The Justice Department’s indictment of Assange under the Espionage Act was intended to deter journalism that is vital to American democracy.

A Case for More Compassionate Leadership at CIA
A toxic work environment has taken hold at CIA. Leaders need to change the culture if they wish to attract and retain the best and brightest.

Don’t Blame Privacy for Big Tech’s Monopoly on Information
As the prospect of antitrust charges against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) looms larger, regulators should challenge the concentration of data within Big Tech…

Breaking: Colonel Montano, Extradited from the United States, Found Guilty of the Jesuits Massacre by Spanish Court
UPDATE: The judgment is available here (in Spanish). A Spanish court has convicted Colonel Inocente Orlando Montano for his role in the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests, their…

Toward a New Approach to National and Human Security: Uphold the Prohibition on Torture
A full reckoning for state-sanctioned American torture remains unfinished. The Obama administration took important steps towards fulfilling US obligations but fell short of what…