Antonio Manaytay Tech 11.01.2022 14:Nov PM EDT

Watchdog Report Says NSA Eavesdropped Too Far, Surveillance Project Gone Wrong

An analyst of the National Security Agency (NSA) working on a surveillance project some years back had gone beyond what was allowed by law, the 2016 report by the Office of Inspector General said.

The report, made available only recently, said the analyst "acted with reckless disregard" in conducting the surveillance project when it collected private communications of organizations and individuals in the United States.

FOIA Lawsuits

NSA released the 2016 report in compliance to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

In 2020, several reporters and news organizations filed some 122 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits. The lawsuits sought to compel the release of federal government documents or records.

A report by FOIA Project said the filing is "more than any year on record according to federal court data dating back to 2001.

Lack of Strong Oversight

The IG report showed a lack of strong oversight by the NSA that led to unauthorized surveillance of US citizens and organizations.

The NSA, according to the report, had given the analyst almost free rein in developing a surveillance technique many officials in the establishment didn't understand.

Although the heavily redacted report did not name the analyst, the report appeared to be the concluding part of the Edward Snowden saga.

The analyst, according to the report, was working on signals intelligence development (SIGDEV), whose primary goal was to develop new ways for espionage.

The 400-page report did not also say if the analyst or anyone at the NSA was held to account for what the IG considered as damaging and potentially illegal surveillance.

NSA Acknowledges IG Oversight

Bloomberg reported that the secretive agency had kept mum about the report.

An NSA spokesperson, however, said the agency is "fully committed to the rigorous and independent oversight provided by the NSA Inspector General's Office."

It would suffice to say that the culture of compliance by which the NSA operates has made all its operations within the bounds of the law.

2013 Whistleblowers And Snowden

Whistleblowers sparked the investigation conducted by the NSA watchdog in May 2013.

The analyst was stunned when criticisms met his work with the NSA. But he told investigators he proceeded with the project with caution, knowing the depth of the dangers as it touched uncharted territories.

Snowden, along with Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning, became America's whistleblowers of far-reaching consequence.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2013, Snowden said he fully understood that he will suffer for his actions.

Although worried about his safety, Snowden said: "I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant," The Guardian quoted Snowden.

Despite the timing and proximity of events, the report did not indicate that the events cited in the report were related to NSA activities mentioned by Snowden. But the time of investigation hued closely to when the NSA was under pressure to account for the alleged wrongdoings.