Events and Press

Ambassador Sam Brownback will deliver keynote remarks for PCLOB’s December 2^nd virtual public forum examining how debanking and other financial tools used by the government to fight terrorism may impact Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has released a staff report which is the first comprehensive government examination of the FBI’s use of open source information in support of its counterterrorism efforts. Among other things, the report describes the specific open source tools employed by the FBI, and the policies and privacy protections governing the use of those tools.

PCLOB will be conducting a virtual public forum on December 2nd, 2025 on the role of debanking in counterterrorism and related national security programs. PCLOB seeks public comments both in advance of and following the forum to help inform future agency deliberations. Additional details can be found here: 

Federal Register : Notice of a PCLOB Public Forum on Debanking and the Risks to Privacy and Civil Liberties and Request for Public Comment

Last year, PCLOB issued a statement expressing our intent to issue a report in 2025 focusing on the redress procedures in the event that there were no qualifying complaints. Because there is now a qualifying complaint, PCLOB intends to publish the results of its redress review consistent with Section 3(e)(i) of the Executive Order as soon as practicable upon completion of the redress process.

PCLOB will hold a virtual public forum on Tuesday, December 2^nd to discuss how financial tools historically used by the government to fight terrorism may now be impacting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties

PCLOB has released a report examining the Intelligence Community’s (IC’s) implementation of Executive Order 14086 – Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities – through the adoption of appropriate policies and procedures, supplemental guidance, and training by relevant IC elements. The report concludes that IC elements have successfully updated their policies and procedures to comply with the requirements of E.O. 14086.

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) has released a staff report detailing its multiyear examination of the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) at airport security checkpoints by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The report describes the FRT program, discusses risks to privacy and civil liberties and how TSA addresses those risks, and makes recommendations to further improve the program.

On April 21, 2025, Board Member Beth A. Williams met with Professor Dr. Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information. Among other things, they discussed the PCLOB’s role under Executive Order 14086 in ensuring safeguards for cross-border data flows under the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

On March 14, 2025, Board Member Beth A. Williams met with Michael McGrath, the EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection to discuss the PCLOB’s role under Executive Order 14086 in ensuring safeguards for cross-border data flows under the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

Board Member Beth A. Williams delivered a keynote address at the February 11, 2025 State of the Net conference.