Policy
Democrat to NSA: Forget Congress, Stop Mass Spying Now
Senate Republicans blocked a bill to restrict domestic surveillance. But Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff says the administration should act anyway. By Brendan Sasso
Policy
Did Rand Paul’s NSA Vote Fight Government Spying or Protect It?
The libertarian says his opposition to a Senate bill protected Americans’ privacy. Privacy advocates disagree. By Dustin Volz
Threats
Vickers: Boots on the Ground Not Necessary for Intel in Iraq
Defense intelligence collection has reached pivotal point, says the Defense Department’s Undersecretary for Intelligence Michael Vickers. By Patrick Tucker
Policy
White House Backs NSA Reform Bill
With a Senate vote on the measure looming, the White House strongly supports a bill to curb the government's most controversial domestic spying program. By Dustin Volz
Science & Tech
A Look Inside a Secret US Air Force Intelligence Center
With no U.S. boots on the ground in Syria and not many in Iraq, it’s up to young intelligence analysts here to search for Islamic State militants. By Marcus Weisgerber
Threats
The Constraints on US Intelligence in Nigeria
It will take a lot more than last week's addition of 40 U.S. military personnel to Abuja for Nigeria's Army to neutralize the threat of Boko Haram terrorists. By Jesse Sloman
Policy
Senate Moves Closer to a Vote on NSA Reform
In a surprise move, Senate majority leader Harry Reid is looking to advance a bulk data-collection bill before his party returns to the minority. By Dustin Volz
Policy
Public Increasingly Wary of the NSA, Poll Finds
The NSA’s PR outreach just got a lot harder. By Patrick Tucker
Policy
Now the GOP Must Choose: Mass Surveillance or Privacy?
Before May, the new Congress must choose between endorsing or ending NSA spying on the phone calls of virtually every American. By Conor Friedersdorf
Science & Tech
The FBI’s Quiet Plan To Expand Its Hacking Powers
Authorities are asking a little-known rule-making panel to increase the FBI’s search warrant powers to remotely hack into computers. By Dustin Volz
Science & Tech
The NSA's Mass-Surveillance Program Is About to Go on Trial
More than a year after Edward Snowden’s disclosures, an Appeals Court will weigh the government’s bulk collection of U.S. phone records. By Dustin Volz
Science & Tech
British Spies Don't Need a Warrant To Sift Through NSA Surveillance Data
The U.S. isn't the only country with lax judicial oversight in how its intelligence agencies comb through communications data collected by the NSA. By Dustin Volz
Ideas
Counterterrorism Messaging Needs To Move From State to CIA
The information battleground against the Islamic State should be fought by the CIA. Here’s why. By Philip Seib
Business
The Pentagon Still Needs More Eyes in the Sky
After more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, airborne intelligence will be critical for years to come. By Marcus Weisgerber
Science & Tech
Mass Surveillance Distracts an Overwhelmed Intelligence Community, Snowden Says
Fugitive leaker Edward Snowden said surveilling extremists and following through on intelligence leads is a better counterterrorism tactic than mass spying. By Dustin Volz
Science & Tech
This Is How America's Spies Could Detect Lying in the Future
IARPA has awarded a prize for a JEDI MIND trick software. By Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
Twitter Sues the Government To Disclose More About Spying
Twitter’s legal action breaks from an agreement other tech giants made with the government earlier this year. By Dustin Volz
Science & Tech
The Quiet Rise of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
The NGA's intelligence-gathering has played a key role in every major world crisis since the raid on Osama bin Laden in 2011. By Jack Moore
Ideas
What Drones Can Do Besides Killing Terrorists
It’s time everyone – including the media – start distinguishing between combat drones that kill and surveillance drones that save lives. By Melissa S. Hersh
Science & Tech