NSA Posts Opening For "Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer"

cold fjord writes "The Hill reports, 'The National Security Agency has posted a job opening for a privacy and civil liberties officer. The position was first mentioned last month, when President Obama outlined his plans to bring more transparency to the NSA surveillance programs. A White House press release said the agency was "taking steps to put in place a full time Civil Liberties and Privacy Officer."' — From the NSA job posting: 'The NSA Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer (CLPO) is conceived as a completely new role, combining the separate responsibilities of NSA's existing Civil Liberties and Privacy (CL/P) protection programs under a single official. The CLPO will serve as the primary advisor to the Director of NSA for ensuring that privacy is protected and civil liberties are maintained by all of NSA's missions, programs, policies and technologies. This new position is focused on the future, designed to directly enhance decision making and to ensure that CL/P protections continue to be baked into NSA's future operations, technologies, tradecraft, and policies. The NSA CLPO will consult regularly with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence CLPO, privacy and civil liberties officials from the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, as well as other U.S. government, private sector, public advocacy groups and foreign partners. '"

Proxy approval

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the classic 'approval by proxy' that worked in the UK.

In the UK they appointed a data registrar who job title is 'data protection', and whose legal basis is the EU privacy act. Yet he's not there to *enforce* the privacy act, he's there to approve the *exemptions* to the act. So he spends his time approving all manner of privacy invading uses for UK citizens data by giving his approval to their use (on your behalf, not that you're ever asked or the details told to you even).

It was a slimey lawyer trick courtesy of Tony Blair (a lawyer).

Here, he's appointing someone to represent US Citizens and 'approve' the misuse of their private data, obtained in violation of their rights. As if he can give proxy approval for the surveillance.

It's a slimey lawyer trick, courtesy of Obama (a lawyer).

I really thought Obama would be different, yet he gets into power and it's clear he's just the smiley face on the military machine, same as the last guy.

Re:Who would want to work there anymore?

[AHuxley]

People who know its a pathway to becoming a contractor.
People who know its the path to getting a pension.
People who know its the path to clearances that ensures future funding.
People who know its the path to clearances that ensures future tech and math job security.
People who know they want to work with telco, crypto and math with a real budget and as a core mission.
Second and third generations with clearances.
The ideological testing for the next gen admins will be expensive. Internal file encryption and more compartmentalisation will have to be contracted in too.
Less people, no trust, more work, been recorded, been scrutinized, ever more domestic data to sort, languages via new contractors..
Spy agencies who put their staff under that kind of pressure always know the results long term.