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These documents raise larger questions about whether the government can meaningfully protect people's privacy and free expression rights under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which permits officials to engage in warrantless mass surveillance with far less court oversight than is required under the "traditional" FISA warrant process.
The documents are the third and final batch of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) opinions released to EFF as part of a FOIA lawsuit seeking all significant orders and opinions of the secret court. Previously, the government released opinions dealing with FISA's business records and pen register provisions, along with opinions under Section 702.
Although many of the 13 opinions are heavily redacted - and the government withheld another 26 in full - the readable portions show several instances of the court blocking government efforts to expand its surveillance or ordering the destruction of information obtained improperly as a result of its spying.
Comment: Unless it is a damn good confession, are we even interested in what Obama had to say?