Since the Snowden disclosures began, the government’s massive surveillance operations under Section 702 of FISA have increasingly drawn public scrutiny. Section 702 is the authority the government uses to conduct both PRISM and Upstream surveillance — programs that allow the government to warrantlessly search the emails and web-browsing activities of Americans communicating with individuals or websites abroad.…   continue »

Earlier this week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein expressed outrage that “the Senate Intelligence Committee was not satisfactorily informed” of the NSA’s surveillance of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone.  In response, Feinstein–typically a staunch supporter of the intelligence community–said “[i]t is abundantly clear that a total review of all intelligence programs is necessary” and that “our oversight needs to be strengthened and increased.”  With reform and increased oversight in the minds of the Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, draft legislation, which was introduced by Senator Feinstein, passed the full committee today by a vote of 11-4.…   continue »