FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ODNI News Release No. 8-22
May 31, 2022
ODNI Report on Best Practices to Protect Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights of Americans of Chinese Descent in the Conduct of U.S. Intelligence Activities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its report, Best Practices to Protect Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights of Americans of Chinese Descent in the Conduct of U.S. Intelligence Activities. The report was prepared in response to Section 5712 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 and Section 620 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. This report is the result of an interagency examination of the privacy, civil liberties, and related civil rights controls used by the Intelligence Community (IC) when conducting intelligence and counterintelligence activities to counter the national security threats posed by the People’s Republic of China.
The report states that the law is clear that no IC agency or component may conduct an intelligence activity or otherwise make an employment decision based upon the ethnic or racial background of any U.S. person. The report finds that IC policies and procedures reflect an appropriate focus on the protection of privacy, civil liberties, and civil rights. Consistent with the statutory requirement for this report, the report makes several recommendations to further ensure the protection of the privacy, civil liberties, and civil rights of all Americans, including Americans of Chinese descent.
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