CIA & Intelligence

By Cliff Montgomery – May 12th, 2015Now it’s official. Last week, a U.S. appeals court ruled that the National Security Agency’s massive collection of telephone records is illegal. “A provision…

By Cliff Montgomery – Apr. 30th, 2015Many cyber-analysts believe there is a “need for enhanced and timely exchange of cyber-threat intelligence, both within the private sector and between the private…

By Cliff Montgomery – Apr. 23rd, 2015Congress has failed to curb U.S. intelligence agencies’ use of National Security Letters (NSLs) – documents which in essence are administrative subpoenas created without…

By Cliff Montgomery – Mar. 31st, 2015Boththe Senate and the House of Representatives are planning a number ofchanges to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), an immensely importantlaw which allows…

By Cliff Montgomery – Mar. 29th, 2015In December 2014, the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) issued a bulletin warning law enforcement and other authorities that “emergency management vehicles operating near protest…

By Cliff Montgomery – Feb. 26th, 2015Even though “targeted lawful interception [of information about suspected individuals] constitutes a necessary and legitimate instrument of intelligence and law enforcement agencies, mass surveillance…

By Cliff Montgomery – Jan. 19th, 2015An intelligence fusion center in Colorado has quietly issued a bulletin intended “to help law enforcement officers and military personnel to minimize their social…

By Cliff Montgomery – Dec. 24th, 2014Numerous people and organizations have commented on the recent release of a now-infamous summary to a Senate Report on CIA torture techniques. Perhaps none…

By Cliff Montgomery – Oct. 22nd, 2014The U.S. government still has not provided individuals wrongly placed on America’s ‘No Fly’ list a clear legal means by which they may remove…

By Cliff Montgomery – Sept. 11th, 2014Last week, the National Security Agency’s (NSA) massive phone data collection program began to receive its first test in a federal appeals court. It…

By Cliff Montgomery – Aug. 27th, 2014Congress now is considering several changes to the Executive Branch’s surveillance powers, thanks to the revelations of whistle-blowers like Edward Snowden.Much of the controversy…

By Cliff Montgomery – Aug. 20th, 2014The National Security Agency (NSA) must prepare unclassified studies on “all NSA bulk collection activities,” declared the Senate Appropriations Committee in its Defense Department…

By Cliff Montgomery – Aug. 8th, 2014“Emergency Medical Treatment Presents [an] Opportunity for Discovery of Violent Extremist Activities,” declares a federal document prepared for fire, rescue and Emergency Medical Services…

By Cliff Montgomery – July 9th, 2014The chief law governing the preservation of White House records may not properly ensure the maintenance of media associated with “new and sometimes ephemeral…

By Cliff Montgomery – July 2nd, 2014U.S. officials have learned that foreign Internet hackers are using well-known social network sites to successfully target “federal, state and local government and private…

By Cliff Montgomery – May 28th, 2014The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) runs a national data system which earlier this year contained around 200 million records on approximately two billion…

By Cliff Montgomery – May 19th, 2014John Chambers, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cisco Systems Inc., has had enough of the National Security Agency’s blatant spying activities, according to…

By Cliff Montgomery – Apr. 23rd, 2014Classified documents which detail the assembly of nuclear weapons and weapons components have not been correctly maintained by weapons laboratories overseen by the National…

By Cliff Montgomery – Apr. 16th, 2014The judge who presides over the legal process concerning five 9/11 terrorist suspects adjourned preliminary hearings yesterday, after discovering that federal law enforcement agencies…

By Cliff Montgomery – Apr. 8, 2014 Edward Snowden still has stories to tell. Today the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor had an interesting talk with the Council of…

By Cliff Montgomery – Mar. 25th, 2014These days, federal spies keep a constant watch on U.S. citizens as government officials discuss a number of changes to such questionable activity. With…

By Cliff Montgomery – Mar. 9th, 2014The CIA’s internal watchdog has asked the Justice Department to open an investigation into charges that the Agency may have conducted illegal spying operations…

By Cliff Montgomery – Feb. 23rd, 2014Current federal data on U.S. intelligence contractors are unreliable, stated a recently-released study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).This deficit of solid information undermines…