Big Data Big Issues E08: FISA and Big Data Technologies

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act establishes the authority of federal agencies like the FBI, CIA, and NSA to spy on international targets. Big data technology creates tremendous power for effective intelligence, and is critical to maintain strategic advantage geopolitcally. US citizens today worry that the authorities established under FISA are too broad, and that its court system, intelligence officials, and agents are not subject to proper scrutiny. Officials in the intelligence community argue that secrecy is critical to the effectiveness of the programs, and that internal regulations are followed and respected throughout the process. They also point out that these systems are used only on foreign targets of value - not against US citizens.

Big data technologies have the power to facilitate widespread surveillance across entire populations. Detailed personal information is collected, stored, and analyzed by corporations in an effort to create profitable products and expand corporate power. The government can also use these tools for intelligence gathering efforts - either to catch criminals or to gain insight into the activity of rivals internationally.

FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) was introduced after the Supreme Court ruled that congress could create a different set of legal standards when spying on foreign targets, as opposed to US citizens. Although domestic law enforcement agencies are required to establish probable cause and apply for warrants when investigating crimes, the authorities established in FISA give the US intelligence community a different set of standards when opening investigations.

US citizens today worry that the authorities established under FISA are too broad, and that its court system, intelligence officials, and agents are not subject to proper scrutiny. Officials in the intelligence community argue that secrecy is critical to the effectiveness of the programs, and that internal regulations are followed and respected throughout the process. They also point out that these systems are used only on foreign targets of value - not against US citizens.

By leveraging big data technologies, FISA could - and may well be - used to establish widespread surveillance efforts. However, the public is largely left with more questions than answers about the scale, scope, and intention of intelligence efforts in the United States.