a world with connected lights

老澳门开奖结果 v. NSA 鈥 FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Records 老澳门开奖结果 the NSA鈥檚 Use of Artificial Intelligence

Status: Ongoing
Last Update: May 13, 2024

What's at Stake

The National Security Agency (NSA)鈥攐ne of the country鈥檚 biggest intelligence agencies鈥攈as been rapidly developing and deploying AI, but we still know remarkably little about this transformation and its impact on civil rights and civil liberties. As the NSA increasingly integrates AI into its daily operations and some of its most profound decisions, it has left the public largely in the dark about how it is using AI and what safeguards, if any, are in place to protect everyday Americans. In March 2024, the 老澳门开奖结果 filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act seeking the release of recently completed studies, roadmaps, and reports that show how the NSA is using AI and how those tools affect people鈥檚 privacy and civil liberties. When the government failed to release the documents sought in our FOIA request, we filed suit in April 2024 to challenge this unjustified secrecy and compel public disclosure of these documents.

Describing itself as a 鈥溾 among U.S. intelligence agencies racing to develop and deploy AI, the NSA has been utilizing these technologies to help information on foreign governments, human language processing, through networks for cybersecurity threats, and even monitor its own analysts as they do their jobs. Although much of the NSA鈥檚 surveillance is aimed at people overseas, those activities increasingly ensnare the sensitive communications and data of people in the United States as well.

The NSA has been studying the effects of AI on its operations for several years. A year-and-a-half-ago, the Inspectors General at the NSA and the Department of Defense issued a joint report evaluating the NSA鈥檚 use of AI. NSA officials have also publicly lauded the completion of , , and on the NSA鈥檚 use of AI. Despite repeated transparency pledges, the government has not released these key documents examining the impact and efficacy of the NSA鈥檚 AI tools, nor has it released records showing what safeguards for civil rights and civil liberties are in place.

The government鈥檚 lack of transparency is especially concerning given the dangers that AI systems pose for people鈥檚 civil rights and civil liberties. AI systems may amplify biases already embedded in training data or rely on flawed algorithms, and they may have higher error rates when applied to people of color and marginalized communities. For example, built-in bias or flawed intelligence algorithms at the NSA may lead to additional surveillance and investigation of individuals, exposing their lives to wide-ranging government scrutiny. In the most extreme cases, bad tips could be passed along to agencies like Department of Homeland Security or the FBI, leading to immigration consequences, watchlisting, or even wrongful arrests.

This FOIA lawsuit seeks disclosure of these pivotal records relating to the NSA鈥檚 use of AI since 2022. Without access to the requested documents, the public lacks critical information about how AI is transforming the NSA鈥檚 activities 鈥 information that is vital for a meaningful debate about how our government is utilizing powerful technologies to automate and expand NSA surveillance.

Support our on-going litigation and work in the courts

Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues in This Case