Microsoft exec.: DOJ secrecy orders are routine

Transcript

this committee has long recognized the justice department's need to investigate the unauthorized disclosure of classified information and it supports those investigations whenever they are properly predicated our responsibility to combat leaks is not however carte blanche authority to engage in sweeping surveillance of american citizens businesses newsrooms and universities it was not tolerable after 9 11 and it is not acceptable now if history and recent reporting has taught us anything is that we cannot trust the department to police itself while the recent news about secrecy secret investigations is shocking most shocking is just how routine secrecy orders have become when law enforcement targets an american's email text messages or other sensitive data stored in the cloud this abuse is not new it is also not unique to one administration and is not limited to investigations targeting the media and congress secrecy orders are too often used for routine investigations based on a cursory assertion that the government has met a statutory burden the justice department's own template does not even require facts justifying the need for secrecy instead the template merely asserts that any disclosure would seriously jeopardize the investigation for a variety of boilerplate reasons notice to targets is an important safeguard for our constitutional rights reform is necessary to protect the fundamental values that are the bedrock of our democracy without reform abuses will continue to occur and they will occur in the dark