Public Forum - January 2021 - NSA Surveillance

Like the NSA, we've surveilled huge amounts of data to help you thwart attacks by unscrupulous foes.

TIME STAMPS

Historical Overview 5:41
Definitions and Framework 29:57
Pro Arguments 38:05
Con Arguments 1:00:38
Final Thoughts 1:18:57

SOURCES CITED

Executive Order 13470, with NSA duties at Section 1.7c: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/08/04/E8-17940/further-amendments-to-executive-order-12333-united-states-intelligence-activities

DOJ Brief summarizing FISA search rules: https://fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fisa/092502sup.html

NPR 2015, NSA Ends Bulk Metadata Collection: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/29/457779757/nsa-ends-sept-11th-era-surveillance-program

ACLU 2017, NSA Ends “About” Collection under Section 702 Upstream Program: https://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/privacy-and-surveillance/nsa-says-it-ending-one-its-most-controversial-spying

Politico 2020, FBI seeks FISA warrants (but makes errors): https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/03/doj-fbi-review-of-surveillance-applications-finds-almost-all-errors-are-minor-391101

PCLOB 2014, only NSA can initiate 702 targets (page 42): https://www.intel.gov/assets/documents/702%20Documents/oversight/702-Report-2.pdf

Lamont 2020, CDR Program suspended : https://www.project-disco.org/privacy/051120-rightsizing-u-s-surveillance-authority-delivering-on-the-usa-freedom-act-reforms/

Croner 2020, CDR authorization expired March 2020: https://www.law.upenn.edu/live/files/10389-fbis-fisa-process-is-brokenpdf

Human Rights Watch 2020, on scope of CDR program: https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/05/us-end-bulk-data-collection-progra

Legal Information Institute, entry on “electronic surveillance”: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/electronic_surveillance

ODNI Transparency Report 2020: https://www.intel.gov/assets/documents/702%20Documents/statistical-transparency-report/2020_ASTR_for_CY2019_FINALOCR.pdf

Gellman 2018, suggesting “tens of millions of Americans” surveilled: https://tcf.org/content/report/will-congress-vote-end-warrantless-surveillance-millions-americans/

Human Rights Watch 2017, on human rights violations via 702: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/14/q-us-warrantless-surveillance-under-section-702-foreign-intelligence-surveillance#

Jillian York (EFF) 2014, on self-censoring: https://www.giswatch.org/thematic-report/internet-rights/harms-surveillance-privacy-expression-and-association

Pew Research 2019, ongoing popular fears about surveillance:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/11/15/key-takeaways-on-americans-views-about-privacy-surveillance-and-data-sharing/

Pro Publica 2015, on ineffectiveness of surveillance: https://www.propublica.org/article/whats-the-evidence-mass-surveillance-works-not-much

Jameel Jaffer 2013, on why agencies don’t need more mass data (thanks to Big Sky Debate, only place I could find this online without a paywall, p. 53): https://www.gvsd.org/cms/lib02/PA01001045/Centricity/Domain/407/Big%20Sky%20Debate%20November%202013%20PF%20Resources%20NSA%20Domestic%20Sur%20.pdf

Pro Publica 2013, lack of support for “50 attacks thwarted”: https://www.propublica.org/article/claim-on-attacks-thwarted-by-nsa-spreads-despite-lack-of-evidence

Felten 2020, ineffectiveness of NSA surveillance: https://www.propublica.org/article/claim-on-attacks-thwarted-by-nsa-spreads-despite-lack-of-evidence

Scheier 2013, NSA surveillance makes us less safe by installing backdoors: https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/09/23/176369/bruce-schneier-nsa-spying-is-making-us-less-safe/

Reuters 2020, backdoors led to at least one breach: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-congress-insight/spy-agency-ducks-questions-about-back-doors-in-tech-products-idUSKBN27D1CS

Section215.org, summary of NSA misleading and withholding info: https://www.section215.org/section-215-history-violations

Mackey and Crocker (EFF) 2019, 702 warrantless searches unconstitutional: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/secret-court-rules-fbis-backdoor-searches-americans-violated-fourth-amendment

Brin 2013, on why answer is reform, not end: https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Global-Viewpoint/2013/0726/Snooping-vs.-privacy-lessons-for-an-age-of-transparency

Hines 2013, citing NSA chief, 702 key to stopping major attacks: http://trumancenter.org/doctrine-blog/heres-how-metadata-on-billions-of-phone-calls-predicts-terrorist-attacks/

Harris, Foreign Policy 2013, can’t separate foreign and domestic info: https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/06/28/the-nsa-cant-tell-the-difference-between-an-american-and-a-foreigner/

Hasbajrami case (2018), on why 702 does not violate Fourth Amendment privacy:
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/15-2684/15-2684-2019-12-18.html

Wall Street Journal 2013, privacy concerns overstated (from Big Sky at p.7): https://www.gvsd.org/cms/lib02/PA01001045/Centricity/Domain/407/Big%20Sky%20Debate%20November%202013%20PF%20Resources%20NSA%20Domestic%20Sur%20.pdf

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