Digital Government

New Surveillance Whistleblower: The NSA Violates the Constitution

A former Obama administration official calls attention to unaccountable mass surveillance conducted under a 1981 executive order.

Digital Government

The Latest Snowden Leak Is Devastating to NSA Defenders

The agency collected and stored intimate chats, photos, and emails belonging to innocent Americans—and secured them so poorly that reporters can now browse them at will.

Cybersecurity

Former NSA Chief Clashes With ACLU Head in Debate

Keith Alexander and Anthony Romero each led a team of panelists who argued about government surveillance and civil liberties.

Cybersecurity

Edward Snowden's Other Motive for Leaking: Better Encryption

He wasn't just trying to spark debate. He also wanted programmers to build better security systems.

Digital Government

Is State Surveillance a Legitimate Defense of Our Freedoms?

NSA critics and defenders agree on a few things -- a point highlighted by Michael Hayden comments.

Cybersecurity

Analysis: A Key NSA Overseer's Alarming Dismissal of Surveillance Critics

The NSA's inspector general mischaracterized Edward Snowden's critique of the agency in remarks at Georgetown.

Digital Government

Analysis: DHS Explores Mass Surveillance of Car Trips

The government wants a national database noting where license plates were spotted. Congress should regulate the runaway data-collection industry instead.

Digital Government

The Holy See: Lethal Drones Pose Urgent Ethical Issues

Vatican U.N. rep warns the U.S. about the moral pitfalls of its targeted killing program.

Digital Government

The Staggering Power of NSA Systems Administrators

Reflections on the Ex-PFC Wintergreens of the national-security state

Modernization

The Era of iSpying: Court Upholds Warrantless Cell-Phone Tracking

Americans shouldn't have to surrender their privacy in order to carry a smartphone.

Digital Government

Local Anti-Drone Activism Begins: 'If They Fly in Town, We Will Shoot Them Down'

Will surveillance-state opponents start to fight at the municipal level, as anti-nuclear activists did in the 1970s and 1980s?

Cybersecurity

Today's Vote on NSA Spying Is Vital, Whether It Succeeds or Not

Every congressional representative is about to go on record: Do they support data collection on all phone calls or not?

Modernization

What the NSA Does With the Data It Isn't Allowed to Keep

The rules surrounding what information must be destroyed remain shrouded in secrecy. By what right?

Digital Government

In a Secret Drone War, Immoral Kill Deals Will Always Tempt Us

Killing targets simply because foreign governments want them dead carries a high potential for blowback.

Digital Government

Commentary: Let's Make Drone Strikes Safe, Legal, and Rare

It would be easy to replace our current killing program with a slightly altered one with sufficient protections for innocent civilians, American citizens, and rule of law.

Digital Government

Senator Graham: America Has Killed 4,700 People With Drones

The figure is in line with the findings of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Is that where he got it? Or does he know something we don't?

Emerging Tech

Like a Swarm of Lethal Bugs: The Most Terrifying Drone Video Yet

An Air Force simulation says researchers are at work on killer robots so tiny that a group of them could blend into a cityscape.

Digital Government

Video Blogger Grills Obama on Transparency

Leaked guidelines on drone strikes prompt tough questioning on Google hangout.

Digital Government

Commentary: When the U.S. shoots a human should pull the trigger

Weapons systems that fire autonomously are the ultimate example of elites insulating themselves from accountability.

Digital Government

Video: How drones misidentify targets; a retired general speaks

He warns that their operators lack important context, and gives a chilling example from the field.