Privacy group outlines cost of surveillance

Spying at the National Security Agency and elsewhere is hurting U.S. businesses, American foreign policy and security across the Internet, according to new analysis from a group of civil liberties advocates.

The 60-page report released by the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute on Tuesday comes on the same day that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is introducing his new version of a bill to reform the contested spying outfit, and could provide a boost for critics of the agency. 

“Our findings indicate that the NSA’s actions have already begun to, and will continue to, cause significant damage to the interests of the United States and the global Internet community,” the organization wrote in its report.

At the top of the list are tech companies, who have suffered losses estimated to be in the billions of dollars due to people’s loss of trust in their services. They could be further hurt by foreign governments who begin to distrust the current structure of the Internet and call for new laws that data be held in their countries or assert more control online.

Additionally, disclosures that the U.S. had snooped on foreign leaders in Brazil, Germany and other countries have damaged the countries’ international alliances, and the friction could be felt for years.

“The U.S. government is fighting an uphill battle at the moment to regain credibility in international Internet governance debates and to defend its moral high ground as a critic of authoritarian regimes that limit freedom of expression and violate human rights online,” the organization said in its report. “Moreover, the fallout from the NSA’s surveillance activities has spilled over into other areas of U.S. foreign policy and currently threatens bilateral relations with a number of key allies.”  

Finally, NSA operations to find vulnerability online and ensure agents have “backdoors” to peer into people’s communications “have undermined trust in the security of the Internet itself,” the report declared.

The report comes as Leahy is set to introduce his new, more aggressive version of the USA Freedom Act, which tech companies and organizations including the Open Technology Institute have rallied behind.

Kevin Bankston, the organization’s policy director, said in a statement that the new bill “would go a long way toward stemming the costs of the NSA’s spying programs and restoring trust in the American Internet industry, by prohibiting bulk records collection and providing substantially more transparency around the NSA’s surveillance programs.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/technology/213638-privacy-group-outlines-cost-of-surveillance#ixzz38uK1NEbd 

You need to be a member of Ashtar Command - Spiritual Community to add comments!

Join Ashtar Command - Spiritual Community

Email me when people reply –

Topics by Tags

Monthly Archives

Latest Activity

AlternateEarth left a comment on Comment Wall
"Rep. Luna Says Butler Assassination Attempt Was ‘Inside Job’
https://www.alexjoneslive.com/2026/04/30/watch-rep-luna-says-butler..."
1 hour ago
AlternateEarth left a comment on Comment Wall
"That Don Lemon comment-turns out it's been proven that SPLC created the narrative of white men being the most dangerous people"
1 hour ago
Love & Joy posted a discussion
    Global Love Day - May 1 - One Heart Worldwide Wave Concordance  Thank you Harold Becker for hosting the Global Love Day on May 1st since 2004: "We come together this day as part of a worldwide focus towards unconditionally loving each other as…
3 hours ago
Drekx Omega left a comment on Comment Wall
"Another tranche of lefty looser S.O.s (spat outs,) making fools of themselves......6th ray fanatic anger and emotional imbalance, defines them and tells you their crazy stories....LOL.....These people are all over the planet....🤨...They want to be…"
3 hours ago
Drekx Omega left a comment on Comment Wall
"The plan is working and there are many positive results behind the scenes and some in front, too...Recommend this X22 report, if you want to appreciate the current state of play, in a plan that seems almost glacial, but in fact, has to move…"
3 hours ago
Drekx Omega commented on Drekx Omega's blog post Patriots Await The Plan's Final Phase - Justice & Retributions
"The plan is working and there are many positive results behind the scenes and some in front, too...Recommend this X22 report, if you want to appreciate the current state of play, in a plan that seems almost glacial, but in fact, has to move…"
3 hours ago
Movella commented on AlternateEarth's blog post 3 Craft from Tau Ceti
"Welcome back Justin, glad you’re ok."
5 hours ago
rev.joshua skirvin posted a blog post
Posted on 05/01/2026 by EraOfLight — Leave a reply Beloved ones of Earth, we greet you from beyond the veil, where the currents of time are not rigid lines, but living waves of unfolding destiny. Today we speak clearly, and with great love:Get…
6 hours ago
More…

3 Craft from Tau Ceti


Good images! In January of 2025 the same craft were overhead but silently. People were shooting at them! About a month later they started emitting jet drone sounds and nobody pays attention now. lol.…

Read more…
Views: 53
Comments: 10