In January 2014, President Obama delivered a closely-watched speech addressing reforms to the surveillance and intelligence-gathering practices of the U.S. intelligence community including the National Security Agency (NSA). Debate surrounding surveillance has continued amid further releases of documents by the media and the intelligence community itself. Meanwhile, the Administration has been working to carry out the President’s directives and legal authority for certain surveillance programs due to expire in 2015.
On February 4, Governance Studies at Brookings examined what has been done to implement the directives announced in President Obama’s January 2014 speech and their subsequent implications on privacy, civil liberties, competitiveness, and security. The conversation focused on questions raised by the implementation of these reforms and changes to how the U.S. intelligence community conducts surveillance.
On February 4, Governance Studies at Brookings held a forum to examine what has been done to implement the directives announced in President Obama’s January 2014 speech and their subsequent implications on privacy, civil liberties, competitiveness, and security.