Oversight Reports

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board’s report on the National Counterterrorism Center details the Board’s review of NCTC’s access to and handling of datasets containing non-terrorism information. The report describes NCTC’s policies and practices concerning such materials, as well as how the governing laws, regulations, and policies work in NCTC’s day-to-day activities. The Board’s review considers NCTC’s activities under procedures drafted by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) pursuant to Executive Order 12333, as well as under the NCTC Implementation Procedures.

In July 2014, the Board announced that it would review, among other matters, counterterrorism-related intelligence activities conducted pursuant to Executive Order 12333, as amended (“E.O. 12333”). In spring of 2015, the Board announced that it would produce a public report examining E.O. 12333 at a high level as well deep dives focusing on specific counterterrorism activities conducted by CIA and NSA. The following releases include:

1. A report, containing appropriate redactions to protect classified information, regarding NSA uses of XKEYSCORE for counterterrorism purposes ("Deep Dive 3"); and 
2. Additional materials related to the Board's XKEYSORE report

PCLOB’s 2023 Section 702 Report provides a comprehensive, unclassified account and analysis of the Section 702 surveillance program, updating PCLOB’s 2014 report. PCLOB conducted a comprehensive study of the current Section 702 program, and this report presents PCLOB’s findings in an unclassified format to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the protection of classified information and applicable law. It carries forward and updates information from the 2014 PCLOB Report and adds new discussions where substantial changes have been implemented, greater transparency is now possible, or new information has become available.

The PCLOB previously released assessments of the status of the Section 215 Report and Section 702 Report recommendations in 2015 and 2016 (“2015 Recommendations Assessment Report” and “2016 Recommendations Assessment Report,” respectively). The PCLOB issues this report from PCLOB staff (“Staff”) to provide an update on the status of those recommendations as well as to assess the status of the recommendations contained within the PPD-28 Report. The report, while drafted by Staff, also includes separate annex statements from Board Members Ed Felten and Travis LeBlanc. 

In July 2014, the Board announced that it would review, among other matters, counterterrorism-related intelligence activities conducted pursuant to Executive Order 12333, as amended (“E.O. 12333”). In spring of 2015, the Board announced that it would produce a public report examining E.O. 12333 at a high level as well deep dives focusing on specific counterterrorism activities conducted by CIA and NSA. The following releases include:

1. A report, containing appropriate redactions to protect classified information, regarding CIA financial data activities in support of ISIL-related counterterrorism efforts ("Deep Dive 1"); 
2. Staff-level recommendations, containing appropriate redactions to protect classified information, resulting from the Board's review of one CIA counterterrorism activity conducted pursuant to E.O. 12333 ("Deep Dive 2"); and
3. A separate statement from Board Member Travis LeBlanc on the Board's report and recommendations

In July 2014, the Board announced that it would review, among other matters, counterterrorism-related intelligence activities conducted pursuant to Executive Order 12333, as amended (“E.O. 12333”). In spring of 2015, the Board announced that it would produce a public report examining E.O. 12333 at a high level as well deep dives focusing on specific counterterrorism activities conducted by CIA and NSA. 

The following releases include: 

1. The EO 12333 public report
2. Board Member LeBlanc's unclassified statement on XKEYSCORE, and 
3. Board Members Felten and LeBlanc's statement on the EO 12333 public report

The Board has concluded its review of the Treasury Department’s Terrorist Finance Tracking Program and its implications for privacy and civil liberties.

Chairman's Statement on TFTP

The Board's TFTP Statement

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has issued its oversight report on the government’s operation of the call detail records (CDR) program under the USA Freedom Act.

This is the bipartisan Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB)’s Report on the Implementation of Presidential Policy Directive 28 (PPD-28)

Recommendations for Privacy and Civil Liberties Officers: Reports under Section 803 of the 9/11 Commission Act

The bipartisan Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) has released a report that provides an update on the progress the government has made toward implementing agency recommendations. The "Recommendations Assessment Report" outlines the status of 22 recommendations PCLOB made as part of two separate reports.

To mark the one-year anniversary of its report on the Section 215 telephone records program and the six-month anniversary of its report on the Section 702 surveillance program, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board released an assessment of the implementation of its recommendations. In its two reports, the Board made a total of 22 recommendations directed at the Executive Branch, Congress, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. In its assessment, the Board discusses the status of each recommendation’s implementation.

The Board's report on the surveillance program directed at international telephone and internet communications conducted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The report provides descriptive, legal, and policy analysis of the program and offers ten recommendations to further ensure the protection of privacy and civil liberties.

The Board's report on the bulk telephone records program conducted under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act on the operations of the FISA court. The report contains descriptive, legal, and policy analyses of both the telephone records program and the FISA court, and it offers twelve recommendations to increase privacy and civil liberties protections.