Mysterious Privacy Board Touted by Obama Has Deep Government Ties

[grasswire]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/21/privacy-civil-liberties-obama-secretive


The body charged by President Obama with protecting the civil liberties and privacy of the American people exists in shadows almost as dark as the intelligence agencies it is designed to oversee.

The Privacy & Civil Liberties Board (PCLOB) was due to meet Obama at the White House on Friday afternoon at 3pm in the situation room to discuss growing concerns over US surveillance of phone and internet records – or, at least, that's what unnamed "senior administration officials" said would happen.

The meeting did not appear on the president's official diary issued to journalists, nor has the PCLOB issued much public confirmation beyond saying "further questions were warranted".

To be fair, that might be because the PCLOB does not have a website, nor an email address, nor indeed any independent full-time staff. Its day-to-day administration is currently run by a government official on secondment from the office of the Director of National Intelligence.

In fact, even the office address given out by the PCLOB in the few public letters that exist does not appear to be functioning. A security guard at the federal buildings on 2100 K Street in Washington said he had no record of the mystery body that claimed to occupy suite 500.

more at link

[jberryhill]

1. I guess they're serious about privacy

[MannyGoldstein]

3. But not ours.

Surprise!

[dkf]

4. "PCLOB was required to report to Congress at least twice a year"

And have they been fully apprised of all activities to date all this time? If not what good is this board?

[grasswire]

5. well, Guardian readers seem veddy veddy skeptical about this board.

Kind of like a "blue ribbon panel" to CYA.

[dkf]

6. I'm willing to be open to the possibility they served some purpose..

But they gotta show me the money.

[grasswire]

7. I wonder why the Privacy Board is so secret.

It would seem that the public would be reassured by knowing about this Board and its functions.

But perhaps it has been an empty shell.

[dkf]

8. I suspect it's to provide cover...like the statement they don't "listen" to our phone calls.

[grasswire]

9. this story deserves more attention

shameless kick here