Eli Lake: Exploring the Darkest Corners of the Deep State
The journalist and podcast host on foreign policy, democracy, and habitual law breaking by the NSA, CIA, and FBI
NSA
We Still Don't Know the Full Extent of the Government's Warrantless Electronic Spying Program
The reauthorization of Section 702 is one of the most important issues facing Congress in the second half of this year.
Biden's Flip-Flop on Warrantless Surveillance
Plus: Montanans challenge ban on drag story hour, Arizona approves birth control without a prescription, and more...
European Union Fines Meta $1.3 Billion Because of NSA Spying Programs
The record penalty seems to be based less on the Facebook parent company's lax data practices than the U.S. intelligence community's data-collection programs.
Spying Abuses Are Still a Concern, 10 Years After Edward Snowden
Despite some headway in protecting privacy, the surveillance state hasn’t gone away.
Kerry Howley: A Journey Through the Deep State
The Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs author and former Reason staffer reports back from post-privacy America.
SCOTUS Says Domestic Spying Is Too Secret To Be Challenged in Court
Officials shield government abuses from litigation by claiming “national security.” The Supreme Court declined to weigh in.
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
A Politically Split Congress Can Perhaps Fuel Federal Surveillance Reforms
Part of a law that authorizes warrantless snooping is about to expire, opening up a opportunity to better protect our privacy rights.
Welcome to the Post-Post-9/11 Era
But a few remnants of post-9/11 foreign and domestic policy still need to be thrown out.
Is Kamala Harris Serious About Privacy Rights?
Stop government interference in reproduction, medical decisions, gun ownership, drug use, and more.
After Avoiding a Government Shutdown, What Will Congress Do With the Waning Days of 2021?
Plus: Formerly imprisoned NSA contractor Reality Winner gets interviewed by 60 Minutes, San Francisco tries the novel approach of not taxing businesses to death, and more...
Supreme Court Rebuffs Attempt To Open Up Access to Classified FISA Court Reports
Do Americans have a right to know the extent that the government surveils them?
Could the CIA and FBI Have Stopped 9/11?
We may have misinterpreted 9/11 as a harbinger, when it was really just an outlier.
Biden Won't End the Warfare-Surveillance State
National security reporter Spencer Ackerman on 9/11, mass surveillance at home, and failed wars abroad.
America's Post-9/11 Surveillance Authorities Were Inevitably Turned Against Its Own Citizens
We were warned about the dangerous power of the USA PATRIOT Act. Edward Snowden proved that critics were justified.
Spencer Ackerman: How 9/11 Destabilized America and Produced Trump
The Reign of Terror author on fighting surveillance and interventionism done in the name of stopping jihad.
Treat Tucker Carlson's NSA Snooping Claims Seriously, but Not Literally
The Fox News pundit’s emails were probably reviewed legally—and that’s part of the problem.
Snowden Announces Plans To Become Russian Citizen
The surveillance whistleblower has a child on the way and little sign a pardon is forthcoming.
Need Proof That Encryption Backdoors Lead to Hacking? It Happened to Our Own Government.
The National Security Agency arranged for security systems to be secretly compromised. Then the Chinese government allegedly found its way in.
When Encryption Was a Crime: The 1990s Battle for Free Speech in Software
Part three in Reason's documentary series, "Cypherpunks Write Code," tells the story of the U.S. government's long battle to keep strong cryptography out of the hands of its citizens
NSA Ruling Reminds Us That Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security Is a Bipartisan Impulse
A federal appeals court concludes that the agency's mass collection of phone records was illegal and probably unconstitutional.
Susan Rice Tries To Turn Possible Snowden Pardon Into Attack on GOP
All the worst people are still mad he blew the whistle on government snooping.
Trump Teases Possible Edward Snowden Pardon. He Should Do It!
At least something good could come out of this mess of an investigation.
How Edward Snowden Revealed the 'Dark Mirror' of the Surveillance State
Barton Gellman's new book is a riveting account of exposing NSA excesses to the light of the day.
The Michael Flynn Unmasking Fight Is Another Chance for More Transparency About Secret Government Surveillance
People insisted the wiretapping of Carter Page was perfectly normal. That turned out to be wrong.
FISA Surveillance and Possible Reforms Are Back on the Senate's Agenda
The USA Freedom Act expired in March. Some senators are pushing for better privacy protections before the renewal vote.
Will We See Real Surveillance Reform This Week?
The USA Freedom Act is about to sunset. Who will decide how and if it will be changed?
The Feds' Bulk Collection of Our Data Records Has Been Expensive and Useless. But That Doesn't Mean It's Going to Stop.
A congressional battle erupts over how much to reform the soon-to-expire USA Freedom Act—if they reform it at all.
Imprisoned Leaker Reality Winner Seeks Mercy From Trump
She’s nearly three years into a five-year sentence for releasing classified documents showing Russian attempts to hack U.S. election systems.
Lawmakers Say the FBI's Problematic Carter Page Warrants Require Congressional Surveillance Reforms
A bipartisan coalition wants to restrain secret snooping and create more independent oversight of the secretive FISA Court.
The Feds Get Permission To Seize Edward Snowden's Book Profits
A judge rules whistleblower’s failure to subject Permanent Record to pre-publication review violates non-disclosure agreement.
Devin Nunes Supports Secret Surveillance of Americans, Finds Himself Under Surveillance
Nunes attacked those who wanted to restrain NSA’s snooping. Clearly he never considered whether his call records would be exposed.
I Went to Work for the Government and I Found a Failing System
Freedom could never be imposed at the point of a gun, but perhaps it could be sown by the spread of silicon and fiber. Or so I thought.
DOJ Gives Edward Snowden's New Book Free Publicity With Lawsuit Demanding Its Proceeds
Snowden didn’t subject his autobiography Permanent Record to pre-publication review by the federal government that’s also trying to throw him in prison.
House Votes Down Amash's Attempt To Stop Warrantless FISA Surveillance
Don't blame him for any FISA abuses. He's been fighting it for years.
White House May Seek Renewal of Domestic Snooping Powers the NSA Has Stopped Using. It Shouldn't.
Section 215 has been used to secretly access our private data, but hasn't accomplished much.
The NSA Defended the Domestic Surveillance That Snowden Exposed. Now the Agency Wants to End It.
After years of political fights over our privacy, a potential end in mass phone metadata collection
Privacy-Minded Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Stop NSA from Collecting Your Phone Records
The feds have allegedly abandoned the program. These four want to make sure it stays dead.
If the Feds Have Stopped Snooping on Our Phone Records, Watch Out for the Anti-Encryption Propaganda
Backdoors into your texts and private message provide far more information than your phone metadata.
The NSA Has Apparently Stopped the Domestic Surveillance Program Snowden Exposed
For years, security state advocates fought to maintain the authority to snoop on your phone records. Are they really giving up?
Bombshell Report About Americans Helping UAE Hack Phones Is a Warning Against Compromising Encryption
Hacking tools end up in the hands of some dangerous people. So, apparently, do our government hackers.
Rand Paul Encourages Trump to Attack Security Clearances of Government Critics
This will have potentially serious consequences for those investigating election meddling.
NSA Purging Millions of Improperly Collected Call Records Is Important (and Not About Trump)
The USA Freedom Act was supposed to reduce unwarranted access to our personal data. That's not what happened.
After a Year Stuck in Jail, Reality Winner to Accept Plea Deal for Leaking NSA Report on Russian Election Meddling
Our terrible federal espionage laws won't let her argue the leak served the public's interest.
The Deep-State Liars of the #Resistance
Democrats are rehabilitating the deservedly poor reputations of surveillance-state officials who were caught lying to the American people
How Government Lost the Crypto Wars (At Least for Now)
Public-key encryption has brought a drastic shift in power from the state to individuals.