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Government Surveillance

DHS and NSA Partner to Defend Against Cyber-Attacks

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency announced their plans to work together to defend the U.S. from cyber-attacks. 

Allowing the NSA to work with DHS cybersecurity teams could prove beneficial when it comes to harnessing NSA's expertise and ensuring DHS is up to speed. But the partnership does not come without risks to civil liberties.

In her latest Huffington Post column DHS-NSA in Cybersecurity Swap; Success to be Named Later, CDT President Leslie Harris addresses these risks and the safeguards that should be put in place to protect against them.

[NSA] is committed to keeping its activities secret. This culture of secrecy and avoidance of public oversight is appropriate for foreign intelligence work, but is incompatible with the civil liberties oversight and regular information sharing necessary for the success of a domestic cybersecurity program.