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.
1,837 Articles

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…

A Letter to President-Elect Biden on Restoring Relations with the Intelligence Community
A letter to President-elect Biden on key actions that should be implemented immediately—within days even — after taking office on Jan. 20, 2021.

Good Governance Paper No. 22: Preventing Politicization of the Security Clearance System
Latest in a series of top experts exploring proposals to restore and promote nonpartisan principles of good government, public integrity, and the rule of law.

Saudi Arabia’s MBS Served with Extrajudicial Killing Lawsuit – Via WhatsApp
Electronic service of process -- including via social media -- has become an increasingly common practice. Gone are the days of the pizza delivery ruse.

Loyalty Above All: The “Shallow State” of the Trump Administration
A compilation of executive branch positions deprived of competence and expertise, and filled instead with political loyalists.

The Latest GRU Indictment: A Failed Exercise in Deterrence
On Oct. 19, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment naming six Russian military intelligence officers, members of GRU Unit 74455, also known as “Sandworm.” Peter Machtiger…

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.