Contrary to assurances from intel agency leaders and Obama admin., FISA Court is unable to oversee government spy agencies, must rely on government to self-report violations-Washington Post, 8/15/2013

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FISA Court Judge: Contrary to assurances, no oversight exists for US spy operations. NSA oversteps legal authority thousands of times each year-Washington Post 

August 15, 2013, "Court: Ability to police U.S. spying program limited," Washington Post, Carol Leonnig 

"The leader of the secret court [FISA] that is supposed to provide critical oversight of the government’s vast spying programs said that its ability to do so is limited and that it must trust the government to report when it improperly spies on Americans. 

The chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said the court lacks the tools to independently verify how often the government’s surveillance breaks the court’s rules that aim to protect Americans’ privacy. Without taking drastic steps, it also cannot check the veracity of the government’s assertions that the violations its staff members report are unintentional mistakes.

“The FISC is forced to rely upon the accuracy of the information that is provided to the Court,” its chief, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, said in a written statement to The Washington Post. 

“The FISC does not have the capacity to investigate issues of noncompliance, and in that respect the FISC is in the same position as any other court when it comes to enforcing [government] compliance with its orders.” 

Walton’s comments came in response to internal government records obtained by The Post showing that National Security Agency staff members in Washington overstepped their authority on spy programs thousands of times per year. The records also show that the number of violations has been on the rise.

The court’s description of its practical limitations contrasts with repeated assurances from the Obama administration and intelligence agency leaders that the court provides central checks and balances on the government’s broad spying efforts."...

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Added: Six weeks after the above article was written, ownership of the Washington Post changed hands: 

10/1/2013, "Washington Post closes sale to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos," Washington Post, Paul Farhi





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