[Infowarrior] - Stats on FBI use of NSL powers for 2005

[Richard Forno]

More Spying Statistics
http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/27BStroke6/index.blog?entry_id=1470696

A bit of intrepid reporting (a Google search and a phone call) got me a copy
of the FBI report to Congress on the use of National Security Letters
mentioned earlier.  Turns out that there's other good stats in there for
those of you who keep their own scorecard for the National Privacy League.

The Justice Department's other stats for 2005 are pretty impressive:

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) wiretaps/searches:

    * Submitted 2,074 applications in 2005 to the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Court for wiretapping and searches of spies and terrorists.
(1,758 in 2004)
    * 2 of those were withdrawn before the court ruled.  One was modified
and resubmitted and approved by the court). (3 withdrawn, 1 re-submitted
2004)
    * 2,072 were approved by the secret FISA court, but 61 were
substantially modified. (1754 approved, 94 modified in 2004)

(The math is odd here, since it seems that 2,073 were actually filed, but
the extra one could have been resubmitted in 2006)

Batting Average: 100% Slugging Percentage: 97%

These are good numbers for the Administration, which submitted 18% more
applications without reducing its batting average and improving on its
slugging percentage.

Section 215 Orders for Business Records

    * Submitted 155 applications for business records (and maybe tangible
things, like that guy's iPod)
    * None withdrawn by government
    * FISA court approved all 155 but modified 2 substantially

Batting Average: 100%  Slugging Percentage: 98.7%

These are also solid numbers, but this is the first year the Department has
released them so there's no benchmarks.