Government surveillance

Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally party, looks at an Airbus military drone model at the Eurosatory international expo in Villepinte, close to Paris, on June 19, 2024.

Meet the Global Arms Sellers Meet the Global Arms Sellers

A dispatch from the largest weapons expo outside of Paris.

Jul 1, 2024 / Harrison Stetler

A crowd of people stands in front of a banner reading

Israel’s War on American Student Activists Israel’s War on American Student Activists

For years the Israel on Campus Coalition—a little-known organization with links to Israeli intelligence—has used student informants to spy on pro-Palestinian campus groups.

Nov 17, 2023 / James Bamford

The Venetian resort in Las Vegas

Why Israel Slept Why Israel Slept

The long catalogue of intelligence failures that allowed Hamas to stage its brutal surprise attack on October 7 begins at The Venetian, Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas resort.

Nov 2, 2023 / James Bamford

A sculpture called “Anything to Say,” which features life-sized bronze figures of whistleblowers (left-right) Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning, is unveiled at Parliament Square, London, during a protest for Assange’s release from prison.

Julian Assange and Arnon Milchan: The Lopsided Scales of American Justice Julian Assange and Arnon Milchan: The Lopsided Scales of American Justice

One has boasted of espionage. The other revealed massive government wrongdoing. So why is the whistleblower in jail?

Jun 27, 2023 / James Bamford

NSA surveillance protesters, organized by the “Stop Watching Us” coalition, march from Union Station to the US Capitol in 2013.

The FBI Is Back to Its Old Habits: Illegally Spying on Protesters The FBI Is Back to Its Old Habits: Illegally Spying on Protesters

There should be no future for Section 702, an enduring vestige of the post-9/11 security state. To kill it, all Congress has to do is do nothing.

Jun 9, 2023 / Column / Spencer Ackerman

Policemen take part in a civil protection exercise at the Matmut Atlantique stadium.

Get Ready for AI Surveillance at the 2024 Paris Olympics Get Ready for AI Surveillance at the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Olympics don’t make authoritarian countries more democratic; they make democratic countries more authoritarian.

Jun 6, 2023 / Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff

This illustration photo taken on July 8, 2022 shows Elon Musk's Twitter page displayed on the screen of a smartphone with Twitter logo in the background in Los Angeles. - Elon Musk pulled the plug on his deal to buy Twitter on July 8, 2022, accusing the company of

What Were the Twitter Files? What Were the Twitter Files?

While it's clear Matt Taibbi made some serious factual errors, criticisms of the disclosures have ignored the role of the FBI and other parts of the national security state.

Apr 26, 2023 / Branko Marcetic

FBI Director Christopher Wray

The DOJ Is Using “Foreign Agents” Accusations to Repress Black Liberation Organizers The DOJ Is Using “Foreign Agents” Accusations to Repress Black Liberation Organizers

We must demand that the FBI cease invoking the Foreign Agents Registration Act to spy on and criminalize Black social justice leaders.

Apr 25, 2023 / Collin P. Poirot and Azadeh Shahshahani

Anti-government surveillance protest sign in front of the US capitol

The Supreme Court Needs to Rein In the Surveillance State The Supreme Court Needs to Rein In the Surveillance State

If new technologies lead us toward a surveillance state, it will be in part because the courts failed to check the power of the executive branch.

Feb 23, 2023 / Patrick C. Toomey

Four surveillance cameras hang inside a stadium.

The Qatar World Cup Ushers in a New Era of Digital Authoritarianism in Sports The Qatar World Cup Ushers in a New Era of Digital Authoritarianism in Sports

With drones, video cameras, facial recognition software, and undercover police, the tournament may be the most-surveilled sporting event ever.

Dec 8, 2022 / Karim Zidan

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