PROJECT FOR PRIVACY & SURVEILLANCE ACCOUNTABILITY
PPSA is a nonpartisan group of U.S. citizens who advocate for greater protection of our privacy and civil liberties in government surveillance programs.
LATEST ACTIONS:
7/27/21: PPSA Freedom of Information Act Request: Has the Government Purchased Data to Spy on Members of Congress?
7/26/21: PPSA Urges Passage of Lofgren-Massie Amendment
7/21/21: PPSA Sues Agencies to Compel Answers on Stingray Surveillance
7/15/21: PPSA Files Appeal to Learn Extent of Unmasking
7/13/21: PPSA’s Support for Fourth Amendment Wins in SCOTUS Session
6/9/21: PPSA Sues PCLOB to Adhere to Disclosure Law
5/28/21: PPSA Asks Supreme Court to Open Up Opinions of Secret Surveillance Court
5/5/21: PPSA Files Freedom of Information Act Request: Are Safeguards Against Political Misuse of Investigations Still in Effect?
5/4/21: PPSA Sues NSA, CIA, ODNI, Justice, National Records and State: "Has the Government Done Anything to Comply with Obama’s Executive Order on Classification?”
Our mission is to advocate in the public arena and before Congress for guidelines and audits to hold these secret programs accountable to constitutional and statutory protections. |
The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution affirms our right to be secure in our “persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” |
ISSUE SPOTLIGHT
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Unmasking
When American citizens get caught up in foreign surveillance, intelligence agencies and powerful public officials can “unmask” their identities, supposedly on strict need-to-know rules. Recent high-profile controversies and multiple investigations reveal a potential to use unmasking to conduct political surveillance against political rivals. Such unmasking continues to risk sharply. |
Parallel Construction
FISA exists to enable the U.S. government to conduct counterintelligence and counter-terrorism operations legally. When other criminal activity is incidentally discovered, it can be noted and passed on to the appropriate authorities. But FISA was never meant to be a treasure trove for traditional law enforcement agencies, a massive database of intercepts from foreign communications and international telephone records that is used to investigate and prosecute U.S. citizens on matters unrelated to national security. |