Intelligence Surveillance

New ODNI National Security Transparency Report Reveals Steady Increase in Section 702 Surveillance, Continued Warrantless Querying Issues

On April 28, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its Annual Statistical Transparency Report Regarding the Intelligence Community’s Use of National Security Surveillance Authorities, which shows a steady increase in targeting under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)—up to nearly 250,000 in 2022—and continued noncompliance with Congressional safeguards.

• Intelligence Surveillance

• PATRIOT Act

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates

EPIC, Coalition Urge Congress to Eliminate Funding for Failed “Countering Violent Extremism” Program

A letter from EPIC and a coalition to Congress calling for an end to ineffective and dangerous Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevent grant program.

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Privacy & Racial Justice

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates

EPIC Seeks ODNI-Led Report on Government Data Purchases

PIC submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) concerning an ODNI-led report on the government’s purchase of data, including sensitive data on Americans.

• FISA Section 702

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates

President Biden Signs Executive Order Restricting U.S. Government Use of Commercial Spyware

The executive order prohibits the operational use of commercial spyware if the government determines that the spyware poses “significant counterintelligence or security risks” to the U.S. government or if it poses “significant risks of improper use by a foreign government or foreign person.”

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates

CryptoMode: The Potential Dystopian Future: How CBDCs Could Destroy Privacy and Freedom

• Consumer Privacy

• Government Databases

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Open Government

• Surveillance Oversight

• News

EPIC Launches Campaign to Reform or Sunset FISA Section 702

Ahead of the potential sunset of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) at the end of 2023, EPIC has launched a campaign to significantly reform the sweeping surveillance authority or let it sunset.

• FISA Section 702

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates

FISA Section 702: Reform or Sunset

• Intelligence Surveillance

• PATRIOT Act

• Surveillance Oversight

• Campaigns

Reforming 702: Ensure Meaningful Avenues for Judicial Redress

Throughout the history of Section 702, there has been a severe lack of judicial review and accountability, whether in criminal or civil proceedings, despite FISA’s express provision of such remedies. This lack of robust judicial review leaves us all worse off, with no opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of these programs and remedy surveillance harms.

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Surveillance Oversight

• Analysis

EPIC, Coalition Call for Hearings on FISA Section 702, Broader Surveillance Reform

EPIC has joined a coalition of civil society organizations in writing a letter to the chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the House Judiciary Committee, as well as the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, urging them to hold hearings on the need to reform FISA Section 702 and other government surveillance authorities.

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates

Reps. Jayapal, Davidson Call for Significant Reforms to FISA Section 702

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) issued a joint statement calling for significant reforms to FISA Section 702, cautioning that “programs operating under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and claims of inherent executive authority remain a threat to Americans’ constitutional right to privacy.”

• Intelligence Surveillance

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates