Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)

See the following -

3 NSA Veterans Speak Out On Whistle-Blower: We Told You So

Peter Eisler and Susan Page | USA Today | June 16, 2012

In a roundtable discussion, a trio of former National Security Agency whistle-blowers tell USA TODAY that Edward Snowden succeeded where they failed. Read More »

A CEO Who Resisted NSA Spying Is Out Of Prison. And He Feels ‘Vindicated’ By Snowden Leaks.

Andrea Peterson | The Washington Post | September 30, 2013

Just one major telecommunications company refused to participate in a legally dubious NSA surveillance program in 2001. A few years later, its CEO was indicted by federal prosecutors. He was convicted, served four and a half years of his sentence and was released this month. Read More »

A Secret Court Making Secret Laws? That's No Democracy

Mike Masnick | Techdirt | July 8, 2013

Last December, well before the Ed Snowden leaks revealed some information about the FISA court (FISC) and its rulings, we had already noted that the court itself was almost certainly unconstitutional. Read More »

Apple, Facebook, Others Defy Authorities, Notify Users Of Secret Data Demands

Craig Timberg | The Washington Post | May 1, 2014

Major U.S. technology companies have largely ended the practice of quietly complying with investigators’ demands for e-mail records and other online data, saying that users have a right to know in advance when their information is targeted for government seizure.  

Read More »

Data Protection Responses To PRISM "A Smokescreen"

Simon Phipps | Computerworld | June 17, 2013

An online privacy expert has denounced European responses to US Internet surveillance and called for legal immunity in Europe for those that report its effects. [...] Read More »

Did You Know John Roberts Is Also Chief Justice Of The NSA’s Surveillance State?

Ezra Klein | Washington Post | July 5, 2013

The 11 FISA judges, chosen from throughout the federal bench for seven-year terms, are all appointed by the chief justice. In fact, every FISA judge currently serving was appointed by Roberts, who will continue making such appointments until he retires or dies. FISA judges don’t need confirmation — by Congress or anyone else... Read More »

DOJ Says Public Has No Right To Know About The Secret Laws The Feds Use To Spy On Us

Mike Masnick | Techdirt | July 8, 2013

So, we were just discussing the insanity of the FISA court (FISC) basically acting as a shadow Supreme Court, making broad rulings in total secrecy that have created a secret body of law that the public is not allowed to know about. Read More »

Former Qwest CEO Out Prison, Blames NSA For Troubles

Tim Greene | Network World | September 30, 2013

Revelations made by NSA leaker Edward Snowden would have given former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio a fighting chance to beat insider-trading charges that garnered him a 70-month jail term, says Nacchio, who was released this month after serving four and a half years. Read More »

In Secret, Court Vastly Broadens Powers Of N.S.A.

Eric Lichtblau | The New York Times | July 6, 2013

In more than a dozen classified rulings, the nation’s surveillance court has created a secret body of law giving the National Security Agency the power to amass vast collections of data on Americans while pursuing not only terrorism suspects, but also people possibly involved in nuclear proliferation, espionage and cyberattacks, officials say. Read More »

Internet Giants, Amid Grumbling, Release New Data On Government Spying

Dustin Volz | Nextgov | February 3, 2014

Several Internet behemoths released updated data Monday detailing in broad terms the amount of national security requests for user data they have received from the government, part of transparency reports recently permitted by the Obama administration. Read More »

Larry Ellison, NSA Database Supplier, Approves Of NSA Surveillance

Philip Bump | The Atlantic Wire | August 13, 2013

Larry Ellison is exceedingly rich and powerful. He is the third-most-wealthy person in the United States and runs Oracle, the database giant. And yet somehow, as he revealed during an interview on CBS Tuesday morning, he is hopelessly uninformed on the ramifications of NSA surveillance. Or, perhaps willfully uninformed. After all, the NSA is an Oracle client, which CBS didn't mention. Read More »

Patriot Act Architect: No More Spying Unless My NSA Reform Bill Passes

Dustin Volz | Nextgov | February 4, 2014

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner sent another warning shot Tuesday to members of the intelligence community that they risk losing all congressional authority for the National Security Agency's collection of bulk telephone records if his bill restricting the program is not passed. Read More »

Revealed: The NSA’s Secret Campaign to Crack, Undermine Internet Security

Jeff Larson, Nicole Perlroth, Scott Shane | ProPublica, New York Times | September 5, 2013

Newly revealed documents show that the NSA has circumvented or cracked much of the encryption that automatically secures the emails, Web searches, Internet chats and phone calls of Americans and others around the world. The project, referred to internally by the codename Bullrun, also includes efforts to weaken the encryption standards adopted by software developers. Read More »

The Internet's Anti-NSA Revolt Starts Tuesday

Dustin Volz | Nextgov | February 6, 2014

Thousands of civil-liberty and online-freedom groups and websites will take to the digital streets next week to wage a coordinated war against the National Security Agency's spying powers, a battle strike reminiscent of a virtual protest that two years ago killed an online piracy bill. Read More »

The Top Secret Rules That Allow NSA To Use US Data Without A Warrant

Glenn Greenwald and James Ball | The Guardian | June 20, 2013

Fisa court submissions show broad scope of procedures governing NSA's surveillance of Americans' communication Read More »