The whistleblower inside government, who is providing The Guardian‘s Glenn Greenwald with information on top secret government surveillance programs that eight years ago would have been alarming to those in Congress has not only provided the public with information citizens have a right to know. This source has also forced the government to be more transparent [...]

The government has decided to settle a lawsuit brought by American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Bradley Manning Support Network co-founder David House. The lawsuit involves a suspicionless border search that House experienced in 2010, where he had his laptop and other electronic devices seized. As part of the settlement, the government will destroy [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has received documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that provide details on FBI and Justice Department policies, which appear to suggest the federal authorities can read emails without obtaining a warrant. The FBI provided a copy of a 2012 Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide [...]

An annual report to the United States Senate by the Justice Department shows the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court did not deny one single request made to the court by federal law enforcement. All applications to conduct electronic surveillance or “physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes” were granted. The report, signed off on by Principal Deputy [...]

The FBI currently uses technology, which acts as a fake cell phone tower to track and locate phones being used by targets. Known as “Stingray,” the technology can locate, interfere and intercept communications. The use of this technology is being challenged in the case of Daniel Rigmaiden, a “hacker” who was indicted on charges of conspiracy, [...]

One week before John Brennan assumed office as CIA director, a woman was put in charge of the CIA’s clandestine service. It was the first time in the history of the agency that a female officer was running the agency. But, according to the Washington Post, the officer was one of two CIA officers, who signed [...]

In a what the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) considers a “first of its kind” lawsuit, the ACLU has filed a motion seeking a ruling from a federal district court in Oregon on the constitutionality of the United States government’s secret No-Fly list. The ACLU argues the list violates citizens’ Fifth Amendment right to due [...]

A federal appeals court is hearing argument over whether the government should have to obtain a warrant before using GPS tracking. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is in court to argue against warrantless GPS tracking. The case is US v. Katzin. As ACLU staff attorney Catherine Crump describes: In 2010, hoping to confirm their suspicion [...]

Nondisclosure or gag provisions of National Security Letters “significantly infringe upon speech regarding controversial government powers,” a district court in California ruled on March 15. The provisions were found to violate the First Amendment and “separation of powers principles.” National Security Letters (NSLs) are issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). They are issued to [...]

A federal appeals court has ruled the CIA cannot continue to deny in court that it has no “intelligence interest” in drones strikes carried out by the United States government. The appeals court’s ruling reversed a lower court decision, which found the CIA did not have to acknowledge it had any records on drone strikes. [...]