Page 13 - Financial Report 2020

PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OVERSIGHT BOARD

Transparency – The Board aims to inform the public about the impact of efforts to
protect the nation from terrorism on privacy and civil liberties. In addition, the Board
strives to conduct its own activities responsibly and transparently, to foster confidence
in its management of authorities, resources, and information. The Board promotes
transparency by holding public events and issuing public reports, to the greatest extent
that is consistent with the protection of classified information and applicable law, and by
soliciting input from the public and outside experts.

Rigor – The Board strives for the highest standard of quality in its analysis and
recommendations. When examining government programs, the Board takes care to
understand those efforts in all their complexity. In assessing whether such efforts are
consistent with the law and appropriately protect privacy and civil liberties, the Board
strives to be thorough and accurate and to account for the impact of new and emerging
technologies and institutional reforms. When recommending changes to those efforts,
the Board seeks to consider fully the foreseeable impact of its recommendations.

Board History and Authorities

The Board was created on the
recommendation of the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States (“the Commission”) in its
2004 report. The Commission
acknowledged that many of its
recommendations “call[ed] for the
government to increase its presence in our
lives—for example, by creating standards
for the issuance of forms of identification, by
better securing our borders, by sharing
information gathered by many different
agencies,” and by consolidating authority
over intelligence agencies under a new
Director of National Intelligence.
Recognizing that “this shift of power and
authority to the government” would require
“an enhanced system of checks and balances
to protect the precious liberties that are
vital to our way of life,” the Commission
recommended that “there should be a board
within the executive branch to oversee
adherence to the guidelines we recommend
and the commitment the government makes
to defend our civil liberties.”

FY 2020 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT 4