The Latest in IT Security

Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mark Udall (D-CO), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), all members of the US Select Committee on Intelligence, have come out time after time as outspoken voices in the ongoing NSA surveillance scandal. In the spirited piece, the senators reiterated their contention that the massive collection program known as PRISM in no measurable way benefited national security, stating that its usefulness was greatly exaggerated. They also take the recently passed FISA bill to task for enabling some of the most constitutionally questionable surveillance activities now exposed to the public eye, lionizing their own Intelligence Oversight and Surveillance Reform Act. Their bill, which would end bulk surveillance and appoint a constitutional advocate to attend FISA meetings to defend privacy, is still in committee. Senators Wyden, Udall, and Heinrich publish the piece at a time when Congress and administration official are struggling to address the NSA backlash.