Obama to meet with privacy, civil liberties board

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By JULIE PACE

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is holding his first meeting with a privacy and civil liberties board Friday as he seeks to make good on his pledge to have a public discussion about secretive government surveillance programs.

Obama has said the little-known Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board will play a key role in that effort. The federal oversight board reviews anti-terror programs to ensure that privacy concerns are taken into account.

The president is also tasking the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, to consider declassifying more details about the government's collection of U.S. phone and Internet records. Obama is specifically asking Clapper to review possible declassification of opinions from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which approves the surveillance efforts.

Obama's meeting with the board was taking place Friday afternoon, but the White House wasn't planning to allow press coverage.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130621/DA7250BO2.html

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This Sept. 19, 2007 file photo shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. As many as one of every five worldwide terror threats picked up by U.S. government surveillance has been targeted on the United States, the Obama administration says. But officials are reluctant to say much more about the 50 plots they claim have been thwarted. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

[Ms. Toad]

1. That is a good first step -

But unless the meetings of that board are open to the public, I am concerned that it will be just another unreviewable rubber stamp. The fact that the media is being excluded, and that there has previously been censorship by government lawyers.

[TxGrandpa]

6. Wonder if we could expect more smoke and mirrors?

[Ms. Toad]

8. I hope that President Obama will take advantage of this

to reverse course and become more transparent - i.e. less smoke and mirrors. He has a unique opportunity to correct course now that the spying program was disclosed, and he (or his administration) doesn't have to be the one to disclose it.

I am not encouraged by the exclusion of the press from the meeting, though.

[TxGrandpa]

9. One has to wonder if....

...this is not damage control.

He still has much promise with many programs on line for the benefit of the people to let this destroy his credibility. Hopefully this committee won't end up as a rubber stamp.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. "declassifying more details"

And this is what is happening under all the shill hyperbole. Stuff that was previously classified and unknown (although speculated about) under previous Presidents over the last couple of decades, is being declassified (making it available for FOI), which is essentially disrupting those activities (which is what needs to happen in order to end them)... especially since Congress refuses to repeal those laws.

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

[dkf]

4. Created in 2004 and this is the first meeting with Obama...sigh.

What's the point of these things?

[AngryAmish]

12. figleaf

[Enrique]

14. to seriously address the issue of privacy and civil liberties

yes I'm kidding.

[GeorgeGist]

5. I'm whelmed.

Obama has said the little-known Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board will play a key role in that effort. The federal oversight board reviews anti-terror programs to ensure that privacy concerns are taken into account.

[JDPriestly]

7. I specifically want to know to what extent internet and similar surveillance

programs are used on peaceful activists such as the Occupy movement, peace movements, gun rights advocates (peaceful ones), and other similar movements -- even the Tea Party. I want to know whether anyone is targeted who is involved in exercising a fundamental right and who is non-violent.

I also want to know whether people's communications are stored if they have dual citizenship, work relationships overseas that are obviously legitimate or friends and family who are nationals in foreign countries and if so, whether they are notified that they are under surveillance.

Because many, many Americans, including almost all immigrants and people who live or study abroad would be subject to surveillance if some of those categories trigger surveillance or storage of information. That is a huge boondoggle and a waste of time.

Meanwhile, the immigration authorities issue all kinds of visas without, as far as I can tell, much investigation of the people BEFORE they get visas.

[Coyotl]

10. It is good to know the government is listening to us

[mwrguy]

11. He's the best POTUS we've ever had regarding privacy and individual rights

Screw the naysayers and their trumped up scandals.

[Ms. Toad]

13. Total garbage.

He promised to be the best - that was the platform he ran on. But he is - at best - average, and among the worst of the recent Democratic presidents (recent being 1960s on).

Using a program which rubber stamps the worst of COINTELPRO and the Bush years is not being the best.

[blkmusclmachine]

19. Good one, mwrguy

[usGovOwesUs3Trillion]

24. But we ain't allowed to even peep behind the curtain

Eh?

[Enrique]

15. first thing on the agenda: introductions

followed by what to discuss at their next meeting, in 2022.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

16. Will he spy on them as well?

[FiveGoodMen]

17. ...and blackmail them with dirt he's already dug up.

[blkmusclmachine]

18. Meeting at a secret location, with the attendees sworn to secrecy.

More lies, er, "transparency" you can't believe in!

[adric mutelovic]

20. "Mysterious privacy board touted by Obama has deep government ties" (The Guardian)

Just an excerpt:

"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."

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

[PSPS]

21. In other words, it's yet another fabrication from mister "hope & change," president empty suit.

[Celefin]

22. This is becoming ridiculous

Further questions are warranted. I concur.

[wildbilln864]

23. more lies, bullshit, & cover ups! eom.