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FAA FOIA Documents

Document Date: December 2, 2010

In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for records related to the U.S. government’s implementation of the invasive FISA Amendments Act (FAA) surveillance power, the government released over 900 pages of records to the ACLU. Although many of these records are heavily or even entirely redacted, the documents do shine some light on the government’s interpretation, use, and abuse of the FAA spying power.

Regardless of abuses, the problem with the FAA is more fundamental: the statute itself is unconstitutional. The ACLU has challenged the constitutionality of the FAA in federal court because giving the executive branch the power to conduct dragnet surveillance of Americans’ international telephone calls and e-mails en masse, without a warrant, without suspicion of any kind, and with only very limited judicial oversight, violates the Fourth and First Amendments. The case, Amnesty v. Blair, is currently on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Learn more about the FAA >>
Learn more about the ACLU’s lawsuit, Amnesty v. Blair >>

See the initial FOIA request >>
November 29, 2010 cover letter regarding FAA FOIA document release >>
ACLU summary of FAA FOIA documents received on November 29, 2010 >>

Agency
Page Range
Document Date
Title

NSA
1 – 22
11/30/2009
NSA Assessments of FAA Compliance (9/1/2008 to 8/31/2009)

NSA
23 – 28

FISA Modernization Final Exam

NSA
29 – 47
11/11/2008
FAA Training Video Transcript

NSA
48 – 57

FAA Training Presentation

NSA
58 – 74
12/23/2008
FAA Section 702 Summary Document

ODNI
1 – 35
12/9
AG/DNI Second Semiannual FAA Compliance Assessment (12/1/2008 to 5/31/2009)

ODNI
36 – 36
3/17/2009
FAA Compliance Assessment Cover Letter (9/4/2008 to 11/30/2008)

ODNI
37 – 38
12/29/2009
FAA Compliance Assessment Cover Letter (12/1/2008 to 5/31/2009)

ODNI
39 – 40
5/7/2010
FAA Compliance Assessment Cover Letter (6/1/2009 to 11/30/2009)

ODNI
41 – 69
03/9
AG/DNI First Semiannual FAA Compliance Assessment (9/4/2008-11/30/2008)

ODNI
70 – 103
05/10
AG/DNI Third Semiannual Assessment of Compliance (6/1/2009 to 11/30/2009)

DOJ OLA
1 – 2
3/4/2009
Cover Letter to First DOJ Semiannual Section 707 Report

DOJ OLA
3 – 4
11/24/2009
Cover Letter to Second DOJ Semiannual Section 707 Report

DOJ OLA
5 – 6
3/9/2010
Cover Letter to Third DOJ Semiannual Section 707 Report

FBI
1 – 10
3/15/2010
Cover Letters to FBI First Annual FAA Report (9/1/08 to 8/31/09)

FBI
11 – 13

FBI First Annual FAA Report (9/1/2008 to 8/31/2009)

FBI
14 – 16
5/20/2009
Powerpoint Slides: Changes to Electronic Surveillance using FISA

FBI
17 – 19
12/1/2009
Powerpoint Slides: Changes to Electronic Surveillance using FISA

FBI
20 – 22
2/11/2010
Powerpoint Slides: Changes to Electronic Surveillance using FISA

FBI
23 – 26
5/21/2010
Powerpoint Slides: Changes to Electronic Surveillance using FISA

FBI
27 – 31
6/10/2010
Powerpoint Slides: Changes to Electronic Surveillance using FISA

FBI
32 – 32
9/3/2008
Powerpoint Slides: FAA Overview

FBI
33 – 34

Withheld pages: 2

FBI
35 – 37
12/9/2009
Powerpoint Slides: Changes to Electronic Surveillance using FISA

FBI
36
12/9/2009
January 23, 2012 release of a less-redacted version of page 36 of “Powerpoint Slides: Changes to Electronic Surveillance using FISA”

FBI
38 – 39

Powerpoint Slides: FISA Section 702 Operations

FBI
40 – 42

Withheld pages: 3

FBI
43 – 47

Powerpoint Slides: How Do I Disseminate FISA 702 Information?

FBI
48 – 52

Powerpoint Slides: The FAA: Significant Changes to FISA

FBI
53 – 53

Powerpoint Slides: Section 702 Presentation

FBI
54 – 54

Withheld page: 1

FBI
55 – 59

Powerpoint Slides: The FAA: Notable Changes to FISA

FBI
60 – 64

Powerpoint Slides: The FAA: Section 702

FBI
65 – 66

Powerpoint Slides: The FAA: Section 702

FBI
67 – 71

Powerpoint Slides: Section 702 of the FAA

FBI
72 – 77
6/7/2010
FBI Legal Opinion

FBI
78 – 78

FAA Overview (Chart)

FBI
79 – 88
4/11/2008
FBI Memorandum of Understanding

FBI
89 – 90
7/11/2008
The FAA (Bullet-point overview)

FBI
91 – 95

Withheld pages: 5

FBI
96 – 96

Redacted Page

FBI
97 – 153

Withheld pages: 57

FBI
154 – 523

Standard Operation Procedure Acknowledgment Requests (almost entirely redacted)

FBI
524 – 524

Title VII of FISA § 702 (chart)

FBI
525 – 530

Purging of FISA 702 Data Standard Operating Procedures

FBI
531 – 535

Purging of FISA 702 Data Standard Operating Procedures

FBI
536 – 603
10/2/2009
Powerpoint Slides: Introduction to FISA Section 702

FBI
604 – 610
9/21/2009
FBI Memo: Electronic Communications Analysis

FBI
611 – 614
1/15/2010
FBI Memo: FISA Section 702

FBI
615 – 619
3/22/2010
FBI Memo: FISA Section 702

FBI
620 – 623
4/19/2010
FBI Memo: FISA Section 702

FBI
624 – 630
5/26/2010
FBI Memo: FISA Section 702

FBI
631 – 635
5/26/2010
FBI Memo: FISA Section 702

FBI
636 – 641
6/7/2010
FBI Memo: Legal Opinion Regarding [Redacted]

FBI
642 – 655

Powerpoint Slides: The FISA, as Amended: Title VII

FBI
656 – 659
8/5/2008
FBI Targeting Procedures under FAA § 702

FBI
660 – 661
8/5/2008
FBI Minimization Procedures under FAA § 702

FBI
662 – 672

FBI Standard FISA Minimization Procedures: Non-U.S. Person

FBI
673 – 696

FBI Standard FISA Physical Search Minimization Procedures: Non-U.S. Person

FBI
697 – 699
1/9/2009
FBI Minimization Procedures under FAA § 702

FBI
700 – 703
7/28/2009
FBI Targeting Procedures under FAA § 702

FBI
704 – 706
7/28/2009
FBI Minimization Procedures under FAA § 702

FBI
707 – 746
10/22/2008
FBI Standard FISA Minimization Procedures

FBI
747 – 748
4/20/2009
Minimization Reviews of FBI FAA Collection

No rows match the filter…

FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
NSA: National Security Agency
ODNI: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
DOJ OLA: Department of Justice Office of Legal Affairs

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