The much-anticipated Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies report (PDF) "Liberty and Security in a Changing World" was released this afternoon, containing 40-plus recommendations regarding technology surveillance, privacy, and intelligence security following the Snowden NSA disclosures earlier this year. The Review Group consists of 5 members (Richard A. Clarke, Michael J. Morell, Geoffrey R. Stone, Cass R. Sunstein, and Peter Swire) and the Washington Post's got a profile of their backgrounds as well as ongoing analysis and the report itself. Having just pulled it down and briefly skimmed it, about all I can say at this point is: interesting reading ahead!
We've already seen some pre-emptive responses to this report by the Administration in recent days, most notably announcing that it will not separate the roles of NSA Director and Commander of US Cyber Command as the Review Group recommends.
The challenge facing civil liberties folks and the broader American citizenry now is for the Administration to act meaningfully upon these recommendations and not use the report simply to "welcome [more] public discussion" on these critical issues facing both American and global society. I worry that since the Administration isn't required to implement any of the Review Group's recommendations, this may well be another case of Washington "addressing" a politically sensitive issue on paper and perception but not in policy or practice.
Fingers crossed that "this time will be different" and we will see meaningful outcomes and not meaningless posturing.