On April 30, consistent with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), as amended (codified in 50 U.S.C. § 1873(b)), and the Intelligence Community’s (IC) Principles of Intelligence Transparency, ODNI released the seventh annual Statistical Transparency Report Regarding Use of National Security Authorities presenting statistics on how often the government uses certain national security authorities.
Providing these statistics allows for an additional way to track the use of FISA authorities, National Security Letters (NSLs), and its dissemination of information within the government when required. The statistics also add further context regarding the IC’s rigorous and multilayered oversight framework that safeguards the privacy of United States persons’ information and non-U.S. persons’ information acquired pursuant to these national security authorities. This report goes beyond the government’s statutory duty of releasing statistics by further providing the public with detailed explanations as to how the IC uses its national security authorities.
“While secrecy is necessary for many aspects of intelligence, it is our obligation to provide the public with appropriate and effective transparency to allow individuals to make their own judgments on how the Intelligence Community uses the authorities that have been granted by the American people,” said Ben Huebner, Chief, ODNI Civil Liberties, Privacy, and Transparency Office. “We are therefore pleased to publish our seventh annual statistical transparency report. More than a list of figures, this report provides explanations and context regarding how the Intelligence Community uses key authorities. As with past reports, the information contained in today’s report will allow the public to continue a fact-based discussion on how we achieve both national security and the protection of our privacy and our liberty.”
Source: ODNI
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