The Window is Open: Spying on the Spy

With the F.B.I’s recent release of it’s “Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide” and Obama’s recent strengthening of the authority and autonomy of an espionage oversight board, it appears that national mood and the new administration are converging to create a strong possibility for important changes in National Security policy, specifically regarding intelligence gathering.

The release of the F.B.I’s document raises fundamental questions for many over whether a domestic intelligence agency can utilize personal information about people based on broad categorization while protecting civil liberties. While the agency explains that there are adequate safeguards to protect civil liberties, it does not change the fact that the release of this document has further cooled the public’s already pessimistic view of intelligence gathering within the United States, a dramatic change from post-September 11^th public opinion.

This shift is further reflected in Obama’s recent executive order that changed several Bush administration orders regarding that Intelligence Oversight Board, a panel that allows the president to make sure spy agencies are obeying federal laws. The changes he made appear to give the board more credibility in order to break down some of the more troubling secrecy surrounding intelligence operations, shifting from Bush installed weakness to a new form of strength.

The change in administration is attuned with national mood, both of which call for means of insuring that intelligence activities are consistent with democratic values. The post 9/11 policies of safety and security no longer reflect the public’s opinion, and because the administration has changed they are able to address this shift. With the publication of the F.B.I’s report, the issue of intelligence gathering and privacy has been brought to attention again, and it seems that all the elements are present for some major changes to continue in regards to national security.