Government Access to Phone Records, and More from CRS
The statutes that enable the government to gain legal access to telephone records, whether for law enforcement or intelligence purposes, are examined in a newly updated report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service.
The report also discusses prohibitions on access to, or disclosure of, such records, along with exceptions to the prohibitions. See “Government Access to Phone Calling Activity and Related Records: Legal Authorities,” updated January 25, 2007.
Some other notable CRS products obtained by Secrecy News that are not readily available in the public domain include these (all pdf):
“Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Security Issues and Implications for U.S. Interests,” updated February 1, 2007.
“Pipeline Safety and Security: Federal Programs,” updated January 25, 2007.
“Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests,” updated January 18, 2007.
“Terrorist Capabilities for Cyberattack: Overview and Policy Issues,” updated January 22, 2007.
The proposed Office will resurrect the long-closed Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the archive of which has been maintained by FAS for decades at https://ota.fas.org/.
If Congress needs help understanding the risks and rewards of a piece of technology, they shouldn’t have to rely solely on the sparknotes from a salesman. The rub is much simpler: Congress needs nerds.
If we set up the new OTA to do its job well, members will see it as the first stop to see what issues are lurking around the corner. They will bring their questions early. And they will keep coming back for more.
Even the best-designed policy rests on assumptions about who will staff it, how it will be funded, whether the responsible institutions have ever coordinated, and if the goals are achievable.