Groups Urge White House to Move On Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board

Washington – The Center for Democracy & Technology, along with 28 other civil liberties and public interest groups, today sent a letter to President Obama expressing a growing concern about the absence of nominations by the President to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

The Board, which springs from the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, is designed to be an independent watchdog over privacy and civil liberties. "The Board is one of the few safeguards put into place to protect privacy and civil liberties following the major legal and policy changes put in place to help fight terrorism and strengthen law enforcement," the letter says.

In May, a major cybersecurity review of federal agencies–called for by Obama–noted the Board’s importance and advised the President to "accelerate" nominations to the panel.

The letter asks the President to make nominations to the Board a priority and get them to the Senate this year, before the end of the first session of the 111th Congress.

A copy of the letter can be found online here.