Trump now controls the NSA and FBI – What this means for your privacy
The United States claims to be the land of the free, but freedom is impossible without individual privacy. You must be certain the government will not arbitrarily monitor you in your home or on your devices. Yet the US legal system does little to protect your privacy rights. Eight years ago, we wrote about Trump taking control of the NSA, but since then the US surveillance state has greatly expanded their scope. Because of this, we’re providing a comprehensive update on how government agencies, law enforcement, and corporations infringe on your data privacy and how you can take actions to protect yourself online.
It’s hard to know exactly what President Trump will do when it comes to reforming or deploying warrantless surveillance. Candidate Trump spoke stridently about dismantling the surveillance state, even saying “KILL FISA(new window) ” just before the US Congress renewed Section 702(new window) with bipartisan support.
However, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice for the Director of National Intelligence, has already walked back her long-standing opposition to Section 702(new window) . Furthermore, the intelligence community treats FISA and Section 702 in particular as “crown jewels(new window) ” and has managed to secure their extension under both Democratic and Republican regimes.
