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
ODNI’s 2019 Statistical Transparency Report: The FBI Violates FISA…Again
Buried in the ODNI's 2019 statistical transparency report—released on Thursday—is information about a major instance of non-compliance with the law that ODNI hasn’t previously…
As the U.S. Risks Reopening for Business, Technology Alone Won’t Stop the Coronavirus
Bluetooth contact-tracing apps could be a tool for returning to some version of normal, but only within limits and with robust safeguards,
Top Experts Analyze Inspector General Report Finding Problems in FBI Surveillance
Expert takes on the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz's recent report on FBI procedures for obtaining secret warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance…
Why We Filed a FOIA Request on How Many US Troops Are in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria
Last night, Just Security filed FOIA requests with the Defense Department seeking U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
A District Court Endorses a Broken Prepublication Review System
Last week, a district court in Maryland dismissed a constitutional challenge to the system of prior restraints that prohibits millions of former intelligence agency employees from…
Congress Should Take Steps to Protect the Independence of Inspectors General
In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s assault on the federal government’s internal watchdogs -- the Inspector General (IG) community -- Congress should empower IGs with…
Seek and Speak the Truth
Promoting an environment that supports truth-telling is vital to the Intelligence Community.
WhatsApp v. NSO Group: State Immunity and Cyber Spying
WhatsApp claims NSO implanted spyware on phones of human rights activists, lawyers, and religious figures. NSO says it can't be sued if it did so on behalf of (undisclosed) foreign…
ICC Afghanistan Torture Investigation Likely to Turn on Criminal Intent
Good-faith reliance on advice of counsel is a well-established defense in U.S. criminal law, but it has not yet been tested at the ICC.
9/11 All Over Again
As in the days after 9/11, the current challenges stemming from COVID-19 seem unprecedented. But the parallels are striking.
Extend New START — The World Can’t Afford a U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Race Too
The chances of successfully negotiating a new, complex deal including China were already slim before the coronavirus pandemic. Now, in the midst of what clearly will be an extended…
Beware, Lobbyists: The Future of FARA Under a Biden Presidency
If Donald Trump loses the upcoming election in November, the Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) – the law that’s already tripped up numerous Trump…