Tag: NSA

Encryption is vital for attorney-client privilege in the digital era, and lawyers should fight for it
In the fight for encryption, attorney-client privilege is at stake.

The U.S. has to stop spying without protecting human rights. Fixing Section 702 is a start.
Today more than 30 major companies and organizations joined the effort to reform Section 702 the U.S. FISA Amendments Act (FAA).

WannaCry shows we need more cybersecurity defense, not offense
Attacks like WannaCry have a devastating impact on vulnerable people and communities around the world. Here’s what we can do to prevent them.

How Edward Snowden started a conversation that is changing the world
Edward Snowden did the right thing when he exposed surveillance practices that damage human rights worldwide. He should be pardoned.

Too much posturing and not enough substance on encryption
Last week, Obama Administration officials revealed that they will not force technology companies to weaken encryption to give government officials special access to users’ data. However, this is only a partial win for advocates of smart digital security policy. As our U.S. policy manager Amie Stepanovich explains in a post at Just Security, ambiguity remains with regard to the administration’s stand on encryption.

U.S. Senate rushing through cyber-surveillance bill (UPDATED)
Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee will secretly consider the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), a bill that would enable companies to sign, seal, and deliver your personal information to the NSA.

New Crypto Guidance Draft Offers Brighter Path Forward
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released the second draft of its “Cryptographic Standards and Development Process,” a document intended to provide principles and guidance on the creation of cryptographic standards. Crypto standards developed by NIST serve as the basis for secure communications and interactions across the internet.
Access applauds NIST for the new draft — which expands upon and strengthens the language behind important principles first set out in the previous draft — and for actively and transparently engaging with the public on these important issues. We also encourage NIST to include specific language directed at the National Security Agency (NSA) before the text is finalized.

Away from exceptionalism: The need for global surveillance reform
Surveillance impacts everyone, especially the most vulnerable and at-risk populations. It is past time that all users demand action, domestically as well as internationally, for the universal respect of human rights.

Obama Must Act on His Promise to Reform the NSA
The Senate will soon vote on whether pass the USA Freedom Act, a bill that would end one of the worst abuses of the NSA’s surveillance authority.

Dear Congress: Ignore distractions and pass USA FREEDOM
With limited time left in the legislative calendar for this Congress, it is time for an assessment of priorities. To start, we need to reign in the NSA’s privacy-violating surveillance programs. The USA FREEDOM Act would limit, instead of expand, the government’s intake of user information. It should be a priority for the outgoing Congress. And yet, priorities seems to be elsewhere.