RCFP submits comments to Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board

The Reporters Committee is urging the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to consider whether federal agencies have in place adequate guardrails to protect the rights of the news media when conducting domestic terrorism investigations.

In May, the board held a public forum on “privacy and civil liberties issues concerning the government’s efforts to counter domestic terrorism.” In response to the board’s request for public comments, Reporters Committee attorneys submitted written comments on June 30, 2022, highlighting recent federal investigations that have improperly invoked terrorism authorities to monitor journalists, including an incident stemming from the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Additionally, Reporters Committee attorneys noted that while the U.S. Department of Justice and some other federal agencies have adopted safeguards to prevent interference with the rights of the news media, critical gaps remain.