National Security Letters
E10927
National Security Letters are secret administrative subpoenas used primarily by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to obtain information such as phone, email, and financial records without prior judicial approval, often accompanied by gag orders.
Aliases (1)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
administrative subpoena
→
legal instrument → |
| associatedWith |
gag order
→
|
| canCompelDisclosureOf |
billing records
→
subscriber information → transaction records → |
| canIncludeGagOrder |
yes
→
|
| challengedIn |
federal courts
→
|
| controversy |
First Amendment concerns
→
Fourth Amendment concerns → civil liberties concerns → lack of judicial oversight → secrecy of investigations → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
→
|
| criticizedBy |
American Civil Liberties Union
→
Electronic Frontier Foundation → civil liberties organizations → |
| gagOrderRestricts |
disclosure of NSL contents
→
disclosure of NSL existence → |
| issuedBy |
FBI Special Agent in Charge
→
FBI field office director → |
| jurisdiction |
United States federal law
→
|
| legalBasis |
18 U.S.C. § 2709
→
Electronic Communications Privacy Act → USA PATRIOT Act → |
| mayBeChallengedBy |
recipient
→
|
| oversightBy |
U.S. Congress
→
U.S. Department of Justice → |
| purpose |
obtain customer records
→
obtain email records → obtain financial records → obtain phone records → |
| relatedTo |
FISA Court
→
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act → USA PATRIOT Act Section 505 → |
| requiresPriorJudicialApproval |
no
→
|
| requiresRelevanceTo |
authorized national security investigation
→
|
| subjectArea |
counterintelligence
→
counterterrorism → national security → |
| subjectToReform |
USA FREEDOM Act
→
|
| timePeriodOfExpandedUse |
post-September 11, 2001
→
|
| typicalRecipient |
credit reporting agency
→
financial institution → internet service provider → telecommunications provider → |
| usedBy |
Federal Bureau of Investigation
→
U.S. intelligence agencies → U.S. law enforcement agencies → |
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
USA PATRIOT Act
→
|
authorizes |
|
USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005
→
|
regulates |