New ACLU report: Building American Institutions to protect privacy in the face of new technology and government powers

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Four EU countries oppose SWIFT bank data deal with US ahead of Lisbon Treaty

Opposition from four member states to a draft agreement between the EU and US allowing the use of banking data in anti-terrorist investigations is likely to delay a decision until after 1 December, drawing the European Parliament into the decision making process. Citing data privacy concerns, Germany, Austria, France and Finland are opposing the text [...]

CIA agents reveal money flows to Pakistani ISI in Reward for Justice programme, say up 700 suspects were handed over

The CIA has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Pakistan’s intelligence service since the Sept. 11 attacks, accounting for as much as one-third of the foreign spy agency’s annual budget, current and former U.S. officials say to the LA Times. The Inter-Services Intelligence agency also has collected tens of millions of dollars through a [...]

HRF: Impact of immigration law’s ‘terrorism bars’ on asylum seekers and refugees in the United States

Since 2001, U.S. immigration policy changes intended to protect the United States from terrorists are hurting thousands of legitimate refugees who pose no threat to the United States. The study by Human Rights First documented cases in which people have been inexplicably labeled terrorists.

Departments of Defense and Justice Announce Forum Decisions for Ten Guantanamo Bay Detainees

The Departments of Defense and Justice announced on 13 November “forum decisions” for ten detainees at Guantanamo Bay whose cases were previously charged in military commissions, including five detainees accused of conspiring to commit the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and a detainee accused of orchestrating the attack on the USS Cole.
The Attorney General, [...]

US defense department head bars public disclosure of detainee abuse photos

[JURIST] US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday invoked his authority to bar public disclosure of about 40 photos depicting the abuse of Afghan and Iraqi detainees by US soldiers. The move was followed by a notification and request by the Obama administration asking the US Supreme Court  to set aside the decision of the [...]

1,600 are suggested daily for FBI’s list

The Washington Post reports that during a 12-month period ended in March this year, the US intelligence community suggested on a daily basis that 1,600 people qualified for the terrorist watch list because they presented a “reasonable suspicion,” according to data provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee by the FBI in September and made public [...]

Project on Government Oversight issues new handbook

“The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User’s Guide to Doing It Right.”

Senate committee approves reauthorization of expiring Patriot Act provisions, Supreme Court to review provisons

The US Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-8 at Thursday’s executive business meeting to approve legislation [S 1692] reauthorizing three provisions of the USA Patriot Act set to expire at the end of the year. The portions of the act to be renewed allow federal authorities to conduct “roving” wiretaps, compel the production of business, medical [...]

Pakistan amends anti-terror laws

The government of Pakistan has amended its anti-terrorism laws to increase the remand period for the interrogation of terror suspects from 30 to 90 days.
Correspondents say that the move is one of the conditions of a recent bill passed by the US Congress which triples non-military aid to Pakistan. The Kerry-Lugar bill provides an annual [...]