NSA Posts Opening For "Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer"

cold fjord writes "The Hill reports, 'The National Security Agency has posted a job opening for a privacy and civil liberties officer. The position was first mentioned last month, when President Obama outlined his plans to bring more transparency to the NSA surveillance programs. A White House press release said the agency was "taking steps to put in place a full time Civil Liberties and Privacy Officer."' — From the NSA job posting: 'The NSA Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer (CLPO) is conceived as a completely new role, combining the separate responsibilities of NSA's existing Civil Liberties and Privacy (CL/P) protection programs under a single official. The CLPO will serve as the primary advisor to the Director of NSA for ensuring that privacy is protected and civil liberties are maintained by all of NSA's missions, programs, policies and technologies. This new position is focused on the future, designed to directly enhance decision making and to ensure that CL/P protections continue to be baked into NSA's future operations, technologies, tradecraft, and policies. The NSA CLPO will consult regularly with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence CLPO, privacy and civil liberties officials from the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, as well as other U.S. government, private sector, public advocacy groups and foreign partners. '"

Comments

Newspeak?

[jonr]

Is it just me, or does anybody have the feeling that this job is probably the opposite of the title?

Re: Newspeak?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking that rather than being the opposite that it would be a cube in the basement of a file room and given zero assistance from anyone, just "let us know if you see anything sketchy while you do whatever it is you feel like doing."

Re:Newspeak?

[AHuxley]

Interesting how US rights are now just "maintained".

Re:Newspeak?

[GameboyRMH]

Either that or it's a job where you're given nothing to do until the next big leak comes out, then you become the sacrificial lamb and they hire a replacement, rinse and repeat.

Re: Newspeak?

[phrostie]

wasn't that what the "judges" job was?

Hmm

[causality]

This new position is focused on the future, designed to directly enhance decision making

Does "shut down this agency permanently and don't replace it with anything similar" count as an enhancement?

If we want to fight terrorism we could always stop installing dictators and manipulating the affairs of other nations.

PATRIOT act

[Anonymous Coward]

Most unpatriotic act ever. So, yes, all Govt names are EXACTLY opposite of what they say.
Going by that, this guy is going to be tasked with infringing MORE, without even trying to hide it.

Need to allow this official to be transparent

[stewsters]

This official needs to have the ability to publicly whistle blow on anything he sees. If all he can do is report back to the NSA on his findings, no one will hear of it and nothing will change.

Re:Need to allow this official to be transparent

[omnichad]

The NSA will tell him what whistle to blow. He wouldn't be a very good distraction if he didn't "find" things.

Only power for that official that matters

[IamTheRealMike]

The ability to instantly and unilaterally declassify anything, without any fear of retribution.

Fat chance.

No teeth

[Virtucon]

This position has no teeth and will exist as a figure head when people and the "shocked" congressional delegates bring up questions of what the NSA is doing.

That way when congress starts up their faux hearings regarding NSA breaches of law and privacy you have put this figure head up there right next to the Director and when a question of Civil Liberties, violations of privacy etc. come up he can just deflect and say "Let me turn you over to our Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer who will address your questions."

The NSA needs to go and the CIA needs to absorb the foreign intelligence functions that the NSA is supposedly mandated to perform. What still stinks to high shit is the recent budget that was passed in the house curiously doesn't de-fund the NSA so consider all the members of congress as violators of your rights and in violation of protecting and defending the Constitution. Considering there's an election in 13 months for Congress and 1/3 of the Senate seats, it's time to start sending a message to these arrogant fucktards that our Privacy and Civil Liberties should not become bargaining chips for passing legislative acts, they're rights we all need to fight for. Send money to the EFF and the ACLU and start getting your friends, family and colleagues informed about the issues we all face and frankly, vote all of these morons out of office because the constant money machine in politics and congressional re-election rates (over 70%) is killing your rights.

Translation: Spy on citizens, not us.

[gestalt_n_pepper]

And we'll want a spy in your organization to make sure you don't spy on us.

Here's a question...

[petrus4]

Possibly slightly offtopic; but is there any legal avenue that could be persued, towards the eventual goal of having the NSA abolished?

Re:Proxy approval

[bill_mcgonigle]

Told you so. Vote third party or stay home.

Only 38% of Americans voted in the last election. Only 20% of Americans voted for the current President.

Perhaps Duverger's Law is at least felt, if not completely understood.