As the debate over U.S. bulk metadata collection heats up just days before the Patriot Act Section 215 sunsets on June 1, confusion abounds on the limits/extent of the current law, what changes proposed reforms would achieve -- and whether key parties to the post-legislative process will even cooperate. In late April, the House Judiciary Committee approved amendments to last … [Read more...]
Sound and Fury: Collapse of Privacy International Case Against Gamma Group
A week or so has passed since Privacy International beat its drum over a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) supposedly “condemning” Gamma International for violating human rights. With the fanfare dying away we can now review the event's true significance. Our conclusion: “not much.” The original brouhaha began two years ago when … [Read more...]
Surveillance and the Law: U.S. Ranks Highest on Data Privacy
New analysis of independent research published in Lawfare shows that -- contrary to media reports following the Edward Snowden leaks -- the U.S. ranks highest in the world on respecting the data privacy of citizens. Carrie Cordero, former Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, revisits research done by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) … [Read more...]