Current Oversight Projects


Countering Domestic Terrorism and its Impacts on Privacy and Civil Liberties

In this Oversight Project (“Project”), the Board will examine Executive Branch (“Government”) policies and activities to counter domestic terrorism. The Board will focus this project on two simultaneous and distinct workstreams: the impact on First Amendment rights; and the impact on privacy and civil liberties of particular groups, such as those with shared racial, religious, political, or ideological affiliations. Across both workstreams, the Board will examine how the Government collects, retains, analyzes, and disseminates information about domestic terrorism threats; and how it operationally responds to and seeks to prevent domestic terrorism. Through the Project, the Board seeks to increase transparency regarding the Government’s activities to counter domestic terrorism, and to explore whether any changes to existing policies or activities should be made to better protect privacy and civil liberties.

First Amendment Workstream:

The Board will examine how the Government’s activities to counter domestic terrorism intersect with First Amendment rights. This will focus on how the Government, in its efforts to counter domestic terrorism:

  • Distinguishes First Amendment-protected speech and activity, including political, religious, and protest speech or activity, from domestic terrorism, and how that distinction is reflected in the Government’s policy and training;
  • Ensures that operational personnel comply with such policy and training as they execute mission activities, including and with respect to communities of color, religious communities, and political groups;
  • Collects, retains, analyzes, and disseminates publicly accessible online activity; 
  • Defines, identifies, evaluates, seeks to counter, and seeks to suppress mis- and disinformation;
  • Engages with and/or directs social media companies and other third parties regarding domestic terrorism and all the categories of speech and activities referenced above, and the resulting impact on individual users’ or groups’ speech; and
  • Distinguishes the speech of foreign actors from that of U.S. persons.

Shared Affiliations Workstream:

The Board will examine whether and how the Government’s efforts to counter domestic terrorism uniquely affect the privacy and civil liberties of particular groups, with an emphasis on rights under the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. Examples of such groups may include persons with shared racial, religious, political, or ideological affiliations. The Board’s project will also cover those groups whose members are suspected of engaging in domestic terrorism, as well as those whose members are targets or victims of domestic terrorism. The project will focus on whether the policies, tools, and resources for counter-terrorism operations are appropriate relative to the threat presented or faced by members of these groups. The Board will examine how the Government, in its efforts to counter domestic terrorism:

  • Defines and identifies distinct groups of people that may present or face a significant level of domestic terrorism threat meriting Government response, prevention, or protection activities;
  • Assesses the domestic terrorism threat presented or faced by such groups, and prioritizes the Government response, including prevention and protection activities;
  • Determines the type, amount, and allocation of resources considering the level of the domestic terrorism threat to and from such groups;
  • Ensures that efforts to counter domestic terrorism do not disproportionately or otherwise inappropriately affect particular racial groups, historically underserved communities, religious groups, politically disfavored groups, and other individuals, relative to the threat, and how this is reflected in the Government’s policy and training;
  • Ensures that operational personnel comply with such policy and training as they execute mission activities, including and with respect to communities of color, religious communities, and political groups; and
  • Limits use of racial, religious, political, or ideological affiliation as a predicate for investigation or surveillance.

Executive Order 14086

The Board will conduct oversight to carry out the two oversight roles envisioned for the PCLOB in Executive Order 14086 on Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities. Specifically, the Board will review implementation of the updated policies and procedures adopted by the intelligence agencies pursuant to the executive order to ensure that they are consistent with the enhanced safeguards contained in the order, and will, to the extent feasible, conduct an annual review, as prescribed by Section 3(e) of the executive order, of the redress process established by the order.


FISA Section 702

The Board has been conducting an Oversight Project to examine the surveillance program that the Executive Branch operates pursuant to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), in anticipation of the December 2023 sunset date for Section 702 and the upcoming public and Congressional consideration of its reauthorization. The goals of the Oversight Project are to ensure that privacy and civil liberties are protected in the course of the Executive Branch’s use of its Section 702 authorities, and to ensure that Congress and the public are able appropriately to assess and consider the program’s value, and efficacy in protecting the nation’s security and producing useful intelligence.  

This Oversight Project has examined significant changes to the operation of the 702 program since the Board’s Report on the Surveillance Program Operated Pursuant to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (July 2, 2014) (“2014 Report”) in order to provide an accurate description of the current program. The Board’s review covers selected focus areas for investigation, including but not necessarily limited to, U.S. Person queries of information collected under Section 702, and ‘Upstream’ collection conducted pursuant to Section 702. The Oversight Project also includes reviewing the program’s past and projected value and efficacy, as well as the adequacy of existing privacy and civil liberties safeguards. 

The Board released its Report on the Surveillance Program Operated Pursuant to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on September 28, 2023. The Board continues to engage with Congress, the intelligence agencies, and the public in connection with its report and the congressional reauthorization debate.

CCTV camera, modern era anti-terrorist electronic surveillance

National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)

The Board is reviewing the National Counterterrorism Center’s (NCTC) access to and handling of datasets containing non-terrorism information and assessing whether NCTC’s policies and practices concerning such materials.are consistent with governing laws, regulations, and policies and appropriately balance privacy and civil liberties interests with national security interests relating to counterterrorism.  

The Board’s review also considers NCTC’s implementation of procedures drafted by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence pursuant to Executive Order 12333 (“ODNI Procedures”). 


FBI Collection of Open-Source Data

The Board is reviewing the FBI’s acquisition and use of data from open-source or commercially available sources as part of its efforts to protect the nation against terrorism, as well as the legal, policy, and technological safeguards in place to protect privacy and civil liberties.

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Facial Recognition and Other Biometric Technologies in Aviation Security

The Board is reviewing how biometric technologies are used to verify identity at each phase of an air journey, considering both operational benefits and privacy and civil liberties concerns.

The Board observed an airport facial recognition pilot program as part of its biometrics in aviation security oversight project.

The Terrorist Watchlist

The Board is reviewing the operation of the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), commonly referred to as the Terrorist Watchlist, a database containing information on known and suspected terrorists, including U.S. persons, which the U.S. government uses to populate various terrorist screening systems. The Board is examining, among other things, the standards for placing individuals on the Watchlist and the procedures followed to add and remove individuals.

Back view of cyber terrorist at computer screens.

Airline Passenger Data

The Board is conducting an oversight project related to the use of airline Passenger Name Records.

People flying in a plane

Reports by Privacy & Civil Liberty Officers

The Board receives and reviews reports from Civil Liberties and Privacy Officers under Section 803 of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007.

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Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

The Board receives and reviews reports under Executive Order 13636, Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.

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