Shane Harris’ piece published in The Washington Post titled “Privacy and civil liberties board will review surveillance law that has vexed Trump” discusses how a state board is exploring its powers to monitor people’s communications. The author explains that an independent government agency formed to protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties will look at the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ deployment of powerful surveillance law. The regulation has become one that attracts a lot of criticism for Donald Trump and his followers. The establishment of the body follows the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack to offer an independent examination of government surveillance agencies. A new set of rules and executive orders currently allow detectives to track and monitor Americans’ communications. The agency was named The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and agreed to have public gatherings on disclosures from the inspector general (IG) of the Justice Department.
Harris further mentions that Trump and his supporters claim that Obama and his administration applied the law to spy on the former’s campaigns illegally. However, the IG did not find evidence to back up Trump’s allegations that the FBI illegitimately snooped on him. Instead, the IG documented challenges that indicate a systemic issue with how the FBI gets a warrant to surveil individuals in the U.S., including the country’s citizens and others residing in the nation. The body will also ask for several investigations linked to prominent persons in which the FBI had asked for guidelines from the surveillance courts. According to the bureau, the probes are sensitive, and if done as per the Justice Department procedures, then the process may include public officials and candidates running for office.