House Passes Spy Program After Confusing Trump Tweets

DEB RIECHMANN and JONATHAN LEMIRE / The Associated Press Jan 11, 2018 Legislation to renew the program that allows agencies to conduct surveillance on foreign targets abroad now heads to the Senate. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Leaked NSA Report Is Short on Facts, Proves Little in ‘Russiagate’ Case

Scott Ritter / Truthdig Jun 8, 2017 The document allegedly leaked by whistleblower Reality Winner reinforces assertions made by President Trump that the Russia story is fake news. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Trump’s Wiretapping Charge Could Contain Some Explosive Truth

Scott Ritter / Truthdig Mar 14, 2017 The mere existence of a transcript of a phone conversation involving Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser (pictured), carries the potential for a Watergate-size scandal that would land on the Democrats. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

The Long Ordeal of Whistleblower Chelsea Manning

By Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan Jan 19, 2017 The WikiLeaks whistleblower has now served seven years of her sentence, experiencing extraordinary hardship as a person seeking gender-reassignment treatment while imprisoned by the U.S. military. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Chelsea Manning Pens Document Condemning Secret Surveillance Court System

By Lauren McCauley / Common Dreams Nov 4, 2015 Her 129-page document proposes "concrete" solutions to the rampant and unchecked violations of privacy and civil liberties by the U.S. government. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

George Washington’s Farewell Address: A ‘Warning Against the Impostures of Pretended Patriotism’

Staff / Truthdig Jul 4, 2015 On Independence Day, against official claims that mass domestic surveillance is needed to ensure U.S. security, Truthdig reprints the farewell address of the first president of the United States. Dig deeper ( 23 Min. Read )

Obama Lawyers Asked Secret Court to Bypass Public Court’s Decision on NSA Spying

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 9, 2015 The Obama administration asked a federal court to resume the NSA surveillance programs ended by the expiration of parts of the Patriot Act on June 1. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

USA Freedom Act: Where Do We Go From Here?

Roisin Davis / Truthdig Jun 5, 2015 There is a long way to go despite the passage of the USA Freedom Act, explains digital rights watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Coming Death, and Afterlife, of the NSA Spying Law

Thor Benson / Truthdig Mar 16, 2015 The Patriot Act provision that authorized mass surveillance on Americans is set to expire, but don't be fooled: The snooping is likely to continue. In an interview with Truthdig, Sen. Ron Wyden calls ending dragnet surveillance a "big priority." Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

NSA Court Judges Invest in Verizon While Surveillance Warps Law and Journalism

By Thor Benson Jul 30, 2014 We must never be surprised when we learn once again that our lawmakers and law interpreters are in bed with the country’s largest corporations -- this is how the American government now operates. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Why the NSA’s Metadata Program Won’t Change Anytime Soon

Bill Blum / Truthdig Jan 22, 2014 Whatever legal test is utilized by the FISA Court, there is no reason to believe that it will act as anything other than a rubber stamp for the NSA as it has so often in the past. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The NSA Strikes Back

Bill Blum / Truthdig Dec 28, 2013 Just when you thought that momentum in the struggle to rein in the NSA was shifting in the direction of civil liberties, along comes another reminder that momentum is fleeting. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )