Surveillance Transparency

Reporters Committee Hosts Panel on President’s Surveillance Review Group

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press hosted a panel on the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies’ report. The panel featured experts in the journalism, legal, and technological fields. The discussion can be viewed in full here.

PCLOB Reaffirms Need for Transparency

Statement of Patrice McDermott, Executive Director of OpenTheGovernment.org on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board's report on the NSA's bul collection program:

Today’s report from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board (PCLOB) strongly reaffirms the public’s right to know how the government views the limits and bounds of the law. The National Security Agency’s bulk collection of American’s telephone records far surpasses the straight-forward language of the PATRIOT Act. Secret interpretations of law, either by the courts or by the executive branch, have no place in a democratic society. The PCLOB recognized this and has made strong recommendations to counter this culture of secrecy. The recommendations are what we hoped to hear from President Obama, given his promise of open government. We urge the President begin a process that requires greater transparency for both current and future surveillance and intelligence community programs. Also, as President Obama placed the ball for many reforms clearly in Congress’ court, we call on Congress to heed the PCLOB’s advice, and include strong transparency in any legislation addressing domestic surveillance.

Curbing National Security Excesses Requires Transparency

Statement of Patrice McDermott, Executive Director of OpenTheGovernment.org on the President's Speech on NSA Reforms:

"During the speech, President Obama made an important admission regarding how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 drove the government to take some actions that are at odds with our core values. In particular, President Obama called out the use of enhanced interrogation techniques that many equate with torture. Rightly, President Obama points to actions by the courts and increased congressional oversight to right some of the government's excesses before he took office; what he fails to note though is how important his decision to declassify and release the memos written by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) authorizing the techniques was to improving public understanding of the issues and restoring the public's trust in the government.

Throughout the speech, President Obama referenced the need for public debate about the NSA's surveillance programs, and he admitted that it is not enough for leaders to say, 'Trust us. We won't abuse the data we collect.' It should be obvious, however, that public debate is only useful if the public has an informed understanding about the scope and legality of these programs. And in the absence of access to information detailing the scope and the legal interpretations of the programs, the public has no way to ask good questions and trust in the government will not be strengthened.

We continue to support the important reforms included in the USA Freedom Act and we join with the President's Review Group in calling for fuller transparency for accountability to the public."

NSA Reforms: Will the Administration Take On Transparency?

On Friday, January 16^th, President Obama will outline the administration’s reforms of the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs. As the Church Committee said in its 1976 report (and the President’s review group cited), “The American public… should know enough about intelligence activities to be able to apply its good sense to the underlying issues of policy and morality. Knowledge is the key to control.” We couldn’t agree more.