The FBI’s Secret Rules
President Trump has inherited a vast domestic intelligence agency with extraordinary secret powers. A cache of documents offers a rare window into the FBI’s quiet expansion since 9/11.
Hidden Loopholes Allow FBI Agents to Infiltrate Political and Religious Groups
Beneath the FBI’s redaction marks are exceptions to rules on “undisclosed participation.”
National Security Letters Demand Data Companies Aren’t Obligated to Provide
Internal documents suggest the FBI uses the secret orders to pursue sensitive customer data like internet browsing records.
Despite Anti-Profiling Rules, the FBI Uses Race and Religion When Deciding Who to Target
The bureau still claims considerable latitude to use race, ethnicity, nationality, and religion in deciding which people and communities to investigate.
In Secret Battle, Surveillance Court Reined in FBI Use of Information Obtained From Phone Calls
For over 10 years, the court intervened to limit the FBI’s ability to act on sensitive information it collected while monitoring phone calls.
Secret Rules Make It Pretty Easy for the FBI to Spy on Journalists
Rules governing the use of national security letters allow the FBI to obtain information about journalists’ calls without going to a judge or informing the targeted news organization.
Annotation Sets
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Bureau Hid Doubts About Reliability of Stingray Evidence Behind Redaction Marks
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CIA and NSA Dossiers Are Available to the FBI in the Absence of Any Crime, Raising Privacy Questions
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FBI Spy Planes Must Abide Rules When Looking Into Homes
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On Campus, the FBI Sometimes Operates Outside Restrictions
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To Probe the Digital Defenses of Targets, the FBI Turns To a Special Program
The FBI Gives Itself Lots of Rope to Pull in Informants
Agents have the authority to aggressively investigate anyone they believe could be a valuable source for the bureau.
When Informants Are No Longer Useful, the FBI Can Help Deport Them
The FBI coordinates with immigration authorities to locate informants who are no longer of value to the bureau.
How the FBI Conceals Its Payments to Confidential Sources
A classified policy guide creates opportunities for agents to disguise payments as reimbursements or offer informants a cut of seized assets.
Undercover FBI Agents Swarm the Internet Seeking Contact With Terrorists
The FBI’s online activities are so pervasive that the bureau sometimes finds itself investigating its own people.
Based on a Vague Tip, the Feds Can Surveil Anyone
Low-level “assessments” allow the FBI to follow people with planes, examine travel records, and run subjects’ names through the CIA and NSA.
The FBI Has Quietly Investigated White Supremacist Infiltration of Law Enforcement
Bureau policies have been crafted to take into account the active presence of domestic extremists in U.S. police departments.
Editor-in-Chief: Betsy Reed. Series Editor: Ryan Tate. Associate Editor: Andrea Jones. Reporters: Trevor Aaronson, Cora Currier, Jenna McLaughlin, Alice Speri. Research: Alleen Brown, Talya Cooper, Danielle Mackey, Eseosa Olumhense, Miriam Pensack, John Thomason. Art Direction: Stephane Elbaz, Philipp Hubert, Nick Simmons. Additional Photo Editing: Soohee Cho, Shaun Lucas, Chelsea Matiash. Development: Tom Conroy, Andy Gillette, Carl Licata, Cacie Prins, Raby Yuson.