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Among this year's NSA revelations: "The NSA and its partners exploit mobile apps, such as the popular Angry Birds game, to access users' private information such as location, home address, gender, and more." (Photo: TechStage/flickr/cc)
After a banner year for shedding light on the NSA's secret surveillance programs in 2013, the pace of disclosures in 2014--both from whistleblowers and through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits--slowed significantly.
But that's not because all the secrets of NSA surveillance have been revealed.
After a banner year for shedding light on the NSA's secret surveillance programs in 2013, the pace of disclosures in 2014--both from whistleblowers and through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits--slowed significantly.
But that's not because all the secrets of NSA surveillance have been revealed.
In fact, some of the most significant information about the NSA's surveillance programs still remain secret. Despite one of the most significant leaks in American history and despite a promise to declassify as much information as possible about the programs, nearly two years later the government still refuses to provide the public with the information it needs. For example, government officials still have not answered a simple, yet vitally important, question: what type of information does the NSA collect about millions, or hundreds of millions, of Americans (or the citizens of any other country, for that matter)? And the government still refuses to release some of the most significant decisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court--the secret court tasked with monitoring the government's surveillance programs.
Despite the slowdown, in 2014, we learned still more about the NSA's surveillance programs than we knew before. We learned that:
Despite all this additional information, too much still remains secret.
But there's reason to hope for 2015. For one, in response to an EFF FOIA lawsuit, a federal court has ordered the government to release some of the remaining, significant, and still-secret FISC opinions in the early part of 2015. We also launched a campaign to reform Executive Order 12333, and, as part of that campaign, we're urging the government to come clean about the types of information in collects on millions of people around the world. Whether it's in federal court or the court of public opinion, in 2015, we'll keep fighting for the public's right to know.
This article is part of EFF's Year In Review series; read other articles about the fight for digital rights in 2014.
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
After a banner year for shedding light on the NSA's secret surveillance programs in 2013, the pace of disclosures in 2014--both from whistleblowers and through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits--slowed significantly.
But that's not because all the secrets of NSA surveillance have been revealed.
In fact, some of the most significant information about the NSA's surveillance programs still remain secret. Despite one of the most significant leaks in American history and despite a promise to declassify as much information as possible about the programs, nearly two years later the government still refuses to provide the public with the information it needs. For example, government officials still have not answered a simple, yet vitally important, question: what type of information does the NSA collect about millions, or hundreds of millions, of Americans (or the citizens of any other country, for that matter)? And the government still refuses to release some of the most significant decisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court--the secret court tasked with monitoring the government's surveillance programs.
Despite the slowdown, in 2014, we learned still more about the NSA's surveillance programs than we knew before. We learned that:
Despite all this additional information, too much still remains secret.
But there's reason to hope for 2015. For one, in response to an EFF FOIA lawsuit, a federal court has ordered the government to release some of the remaining, significant, and still-secret FISC opinions in the early part of 2015. We also launched a campaign to reform Executive Order 12333, and, as part of that campaign, we're urging the government to come clean about the types of information in collects on millions of people around the world. Whether it's in federal court or the court of public opinion, in 2015, we'll keep fighting for the public's right to know.
This article is part of EFF's Year In Review series; read other articles about the fight for digital rights in 2014.
After a banner year for shedding light on the NSA's secret surveillance programs in 2013, the pace of disclosures in 2014--both from whistleblowers and through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits--slowed significantly.
But that's not because all the secrets of NSA surveillance have been revealed.
In fact, some of the most significant information about the NSA's surveillance programs still remain secret. Despite one of the most significant leaks in American history and despite a promise to declassify as much information as possible about the programs, nearly two years later the government still refuses to provide the public with the information it needs. For example, government officials still have not answered a simple, yet vitally important, question: what type of information does the NSA collect about millions, or hundreds of millions, of Americans (or the citizens of any other country, for that matter)? And the government still refuses to release some of the most significant decisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court--the secret court tasked with monitoring the government's surveillance programs.
Despite the slowdown, in 2014, we learned still more about the NSA's surveillance programs than we knew before. We learned that:
Despite all this additional information, too much still remains secret.
But there's reason to hope for 2015. For one, in response to an EFF FOIA lawsuit, a federal court has ordered the government to release some of the remaining, significant, and still-secret FISC opinions in the early part of 2015. We also launched a campaign to reform Executive Order 12333, and, as part of that campaign, we're urging the government to come clean about the types of information in collects on millions of people around the world. Whether it's in federal court or the court of public opinion, in 2015, we'll keep fighting for the public's right to know.
This article is part of EFF's Year In Review series; read other articles about the fight for digital rights in 2014.