from the it's-about-time dept

We have talked about the Wyden Siren many times before. Senator Ron Wyden learns, through classified briefings, that the intelligence community is doing something most Americans would consider a clear violation of their civil liberties — often justified by interpreting plain English words to mean something no other English speaker would recognize. But because that information is classified, he can’t just say what it is. So instead he sends a letter demanding that the intelligence community explain itself, carefully worded to tip off the public that the government is effectively lying about how it’s violating our civil liberties. He’s done it many times, from warning that the government had secretly reinterpreted the PATRIOT Act to flagging that supposed “cybersecurity” legislation was really being pushed for a more nefarious purpose .

This year alone, he’s issued Wyden Siren letters a few different times .…