domestic intelligence news stories on Newser

CIA Helping NYPD Spy on Muslims

Kevin Spak — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:34:40 CDT

Ever since September 11, the NYPD has been running a massive domestic intelligence operation with the help of the CIA, an AP investigation has discovered. The department has sent undercover officers to monitor Muslim neighborhoods, and assigned so-called “mosque crawlers” to listen in on sermons without any evidence of wrongdoing....

US Agencies Link Up to Spy on ... You

Matt Cantor — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:31:06 CST

Aiming to fight home-grown terrorism, the US is linking local, state, FBI, and military resources to gather information about American citizens: It’s “the largest and most technologically sophisticated” domestic intelligence system the country has ever assembled, write Dana Priest and William Arkin after a Washington Post investigation that’s spanned several...

Loose FBI Rules Raise Privacy Fears

Rob Quinn — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:16:21 CDT

The FBI has been given far too much leeway to gather information on individuals and groups, charge Muslim and civil liberties organizations. Guidelines in a newly disclosed FBI manual allow the bureau to probe people or organizations without any factual evidence against them. Agents are given broad powers to proactively...

Police May Take Bigger Role in Intelligence

Matt Cantor — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:04:30 CDT

The Justice Department has proposed expanding the ability of state and local police to gather intelligence on Americans, share it with federal officials, and hold onto it for a decade, the Washington Post reports. Supporters of the move say authorities would keep a close eye on the new practices to...

Chavez Takes Over Intelligence Agencies

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:24:36 CDT

Hugo Chavez has ordered a draconian restructuring of Venezuela’s intelligence agencies, bringing them under his personal control, increasing domestic spying powers, and levying prison sentences on citizens who decline to cooperate, the New York Times reports. One justice on Venezuela’s top court expressed outrage, calling it “a step toward the...

Feds Forge National Crime Dragnet

Rob Quinn — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:23:00 CST

Law enforcement agencies all over the country are building a new information "dragnet" that will dramatically boost data-sharing, the Washington Post reports. This month the Justice Department will begin hooking up local and county police forces to the new federal National Data Exchange, creating a "one-stop-shop" that will let investigators...

Congress Torn on Telecom Immunity

Lucas Laursen — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:48:38 CST

Congress is conflicted over proposed immunity laws that would retroactively protect telecoms from suits alleging they illegally handed the government information on calls. The Senate Intelligence Committee endorsed immunity 13-2 last month, but the Judiciary Committee left the immunity section out of the document it approved yesterday. The House passed...

Legal Battle Looms Over Domestic Spy Documents

Ben Worthen — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 06:28:15 CDT

A showdown on the White House's warantless wiretapping program looms after the Senate Judiciary Committee authorized subpoenas for documents on the progam, and the administration said it had no plans to comply, claiming the material is classified and off limits. The president may invoke executive privilege to prevent the documents'...