Author Archive

Michael German

Mike German is a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program. Previously he was policy counsel for national security and privacy for the American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office. A sixteen-year veteran of federal law enforcement, German served as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he specialized in domestic terrorism and covert operations.
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Why the FBI Needs To Protect Its Intelligence Whistleblowers

The FBI director says that whistleblowers are 'critical' to democracy, but the Justice Department doesn’t protect intelligence whistleblowers.

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Hold Your Fire: The Intelligence Community’s Problem With Privacy Officers

They are routinely called terrorists, but they are the Intelligence Community’s own privacy watchdogs and they deserve respect.

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The US Intelligence Community Is Bigger Than Ever, But Is It Worth the Cost?

The intelligence community has grown to an enormous size and Americans have no clue what they’re paying for.

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Our Overreaction to Terrorist Attacks Like Paris Is Only Making Things Worse

The terrorists’ goal is to spread irrational fear. Our intelligence professionals shouldn’t be helping them. By Michael German

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Secretive Private Intelligence Contractors Need Better Oversight

The capacity for secrecy gets even deeper in the private sector – too deep. By Michael German

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Why Police Spying On Americans Is Everyone’s Problem

The militarization on display in Ferguson is nothing compared to the law enforcement intelligence drift you can’t see. By Michael German

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The US Needs a New Church Committee

Two Church Committee staffers say “inadequate” intelligence oversight today needs bolstering. By Michael German

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How the Intelligence Community Can Move Beyond the Torture Report

The fallout from the Senate's torture report will continue for years. Will the Intelligence Community be able to hold itself accountable for its past crimes? By Michael German

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No NSA Poster Child: The Real Story of 9/11 Hijacker Khalid al-Mihdhar

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is wrong to claim today’s NSA data collection would have stopped 9/11. We had the technology and data to catch Khalid al-Mihdhar. By Michael German