CNN news 2013-07-23 加文本

cnn news 2013-07-23

It is one of the most secret places in theAmerica, a federal court of 11 judges with power to allow government to conductelectronic surveillance on you. It's work unseen by the public for decadesuntil this classified order review last month like self-confessed NSA leakerEdward Snowden. It shows the mission of intelligence community has more givingthem more date collecting authority all with the blessing of this court.

The laws has been secretly interpreted in away that now allows the government to monitor the communications of all of us.There's a drag net of surveillance now in place. It appears to be acting asrubber stamp.

The judge's rotate serving one week at atime appointed explosively by this man Chief Justice John Roberts, who at his confirmationhearing expressed initial reservation to the idea.

It's not what we usually think of when wethink of a court, we think of a place that we can go, we can watch. Thelawyer's argue and it's subjected to the glare of publicity.

But the federal intelligence surveillancecourt is anything but public. It's here somewhere inside this sprawling federalcourt complex of constitution avenue in Washington D.C. That's right. Thiscourt is so secret. We don't even know exactly where convenes inside thebuilding. And how does it work? It was designed to allow government surveillanceon individual who pose national security concern before that things happen.

And so need for secrecy is to make surethat the spy isn't alerted to the fact that you are now watching whatever he orshe is doing.

The question now is whether pose 911 isprotecting privacy of America.

The fact is that there's secret law in secretbody of law that makes it probably most vexing and the most unusual.

Only the Justice department goes before thecourt for permission to conduct surveillance. Third parties don't get hurtdirectly unless they go through you guess it the Justice department.

It's very strange process where anindividual or organization that want to interact with a court needs to gothrough their adversary who acts a gate keeper to that court.

Even the judge who sat on the FISA courtworries it may possess too much on unchecked authority.

The fact of the process is ex-party machineand it's one-sided, and that's not a good thing.

Some congress say the process needs tochange but so far no one come up with right way to balance national secrecy andpublic scrutiny. For OUTFRONT Joe Johns, cnn, Washington.