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.
BREAKING NEWS:
The U.S. Supreme Court just scheduled oral arguments on March 24 for Caniglia v. Strom, which considers whether the police may enter a home without a warrant in a “community-caretaking capacity.” If the plaintiff loses, not only will the police be able to search your home without a warrant, the path will be clear to review the contents of your iPhone and other digital devices.
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. |