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Comment by roywiggins | Hacker News Reader

This is the report I think (it's pretty heavily redacted):

https://www.cia.gov/static/63f697addbbd30a4d64432ff28bbc6d6/...

The program is apparently bulk collection of financial data.

Thanks...I am still a bit confused and thought the post URL would lead me to something more informative judging by the reactions here.

If there is one thing I've learned on the Internet it's that reading the article is not a prerequisite for having a strong reaction and commenting on it.

I'm not sure actually reading the PCLOB report is very informative. I certainly don't have the context to understand it fully, and of course a lot of it is blacked out. Reading these sorts of disosures and putting them into context requires a LOT of domain knowledge that I don't have.

Wyden being pissed about it is a decent sign that it's something to be worried about though, he's spent a lot of time on this stuff.

The letter from Wyden and Heinrich explains it a bit. The issue is that other foreign bulk collection has some oversight from Congress and the judiciary. Bulk collection authorized under FISA (The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) is reviewed by the FISC (a special secret court) and every so often the court will find that the NSA or FBI has messed up and needs to fix its procedures around US persons. Those programs are also briefed to the House and Senate intelligence committees who can, at least in theory, exercise oversight, even if in secret.

This CIA program has no particular statutory authorization and is being justified under an executive order from the 80s. It wasn't disclosed to anyone in Congress. It isn't being even notionally overseen by the FISC. It's just a bunch of CIA people justifying their own procedures to themselves.

https://www.wyden.senate.gov/download/hainesburns_wydenheinr...

Now if we could pay someone to read it and tell us what data was collected.

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