Policy
Republicans Come Out In Force To Keep NSA's Domestic Surveillance Alive
Sen. Mitch McConnell and his fellow GOP security hawks are working hard to keep the spy agency’s phone dragnet. But they’re making some dubious claims in its defense.
Policy
Federal Appeals Court Rules NSA Spying Illegal
The phone data collection program 'exceeds the scope of what Congress has authorized,' a federal judge ruled Thursday in New York.
Business
Number of Security Clearance Holders Drops 12 Percent
Federal agencies have trimmed the ranks of employees and contractors with access to classified information.
Threats
Warren Weinstein's Death Should Help End US 'Signature' Drone Strikes
The civilian casualties from this botched operation lay bare the immense cost of failure.
Policy
Rand Paul Is Suddenly Quiet About Ending the NSA's Domestic Surveillance
Sen. Rand Paul hates the Patriot Act and NSA mass surveillance, but remains tight-lipped about majority leader Mitch McConnell's plan to keep both alive.
Ideas
The United States Needs a Drone Board
If we’re going to keep killing citizens by drone, we need a better form of due process for it.
Threats
White House: Three Americans Killed in Counterterrorism Operations
Administration officials said Thursday that one American hostage and two American al-Qaida operatives were killed during U.S. military operations.
Policy
New McConnell Bill Would Extend NSA's Domestic Surveillance Through 2020
The measure aims to restore a core provision of the USA Patriot Act that would permit the bulk collection of U.S. phone records beyond the next presidential term.
Policy
The Senator Who Might Scuttle NSA Reform
Without the backing of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, the USA Freedom Act will likely stall in the Senate, where last year it fell two votes short.
Ideas
Intelligence Reform 2.0
Here are six ways to make sure America’s leaders and troops get the intel they need.
Science & Tech
NSA Chief: Rules of War Apply to Cyberwar, Too
In the tightly controlled discussion about cyber weapons, this counts as a step toward transparency.
Policy
NSA Spying Is At Stake in This 'Last-Ditch' Reform Bill
With the clock winding down, lawmakers are staging one last attempt to rein in the government’s surveillance powers.
Business
The NSA's Fight To Keep Its Best Hackers
Even with flexible hiring authorities, the agency is losing its elite employees to deep-pocketed cyber-security firms.
Ideas
How To Boost Domestic Intelligence and Privacy To Prevent the Next Terrorist Attack
Here are three steps to balance civil liberties with domestic security needs.
Science & Tech
Can Facial Recognition Technology Help US Spies Predict China's Next Island?
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is using technology akin to facial recognition to track and predict China's strategy for militarizing a region known as Mischief Reef.
Science & Tech
How the NSA Is Using the Cloud To Thwart the Next Snowden
In a post-Snowden world, is it really a good idea to have analysts swimming around in one vast ocean of NSA secrets and data?
Threats
CIA Director Says the War on Terror May Never End
CIA Director John Brennan said Americans should expect the war on terror to continue as long as evil people have access to lethal technologies and mass communication.
Science & Tech
Snowden's Leaks Forced the DEA To End Its Own Mass Surveillance Program
By exposing the NSA’s spying programs, fugitive leaker Edward Snowden forced the Justice Department to shut down a separate phone-surveillance operation.
Science & Tech
Can the Military Make a Prediction Machine?
The planet is awash in open, free data. Can military-funded research turn it into a crystal ball?
Policy