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.
1,846 Articles
We Can’t “Look Forward” on the Trump Administration’s Abuses
When President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January, he will confront a national economic crisis and a still out-of-control pandemic. He will also face questions about how to…
Addressing Our Whole-of-Government Deficit in National Security
From Russ Travers who retired in July 2020 after a 42-year career in the Intelligence Community, having served in senior positions across multiple intelligence organizations --…
COVID-19 and International Law Series: Vaccine Theft, Disinformation, the Law Governing Cyber Operations
Ongoing cyberattacks on vaccine production and distribution systems, such as those discovered by IBM yesterday, may threaten efforts to fight COVID-19. But do they break international…
How to Revitalize the Intelligence Community: A Long, But Essential To-Do List
The president-elect and his DNI should act promptly and assertively to reverse Trump’s mistreatment, revitalize Community morale, and, through aggressive but prudent investment…
CIA Is Losing Its Best and Brightest and Not Just Because of Trump
In order to retain its best and brightest, CIA may need to part ways with some of its elders.
Data and Democracy: Three Things the Biden-Harris Administration Should Do to Tackle Big Tech
The monetization of personal data poses a direct threat to civil rights and democracy. The good news: the Biden-Harris administration has an opportunity to check this destructive…
COVID-19 and International Law Series: Human Rights Law – Civil and Political Rights
[Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Just Security series, COVID and International Law. All articles in the series can be found here.] States around the world have had…
How a New Administration—and a New Congress—Can Fix Prepublication Review: A Roadmap for Reform
The new administration, and the new Congress, should act more decisively to reform this broken system.
On Accountability and the Next Presidency, Starting With the Cabinet
To truly “Build Back Better,” as Biden promised, he must not nominate, appoint, or otherwise hire anyone for his administration who has seriously abused power.
Getting the T’s and C’s Right: The Lessons of Intelligence Reform
"We have been part of every iteration of the ODNI and have seen the highs and lows, the good and the bad, as the IC has remade itself. We have learned valuable—and painful—lessons..."
The Future of U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Massive warrantless surveillance endangers both constitutional rights and U.S. competitiveness in a global information marketplace. There’s only one solution to these sets of…
Why Trump Should Not Have Access to U.S. Intelligence After January 20
Since 2015, when he first declared he was running for president, Donald Trump has posed a major national security risk, one that the American people will continue to bear well…