For most people, the answer is probably no.
We’re hoping to change that by pulling back the curtain on privacy, civil liberties, and transparency at CIA.
Ben Huebner runs CIA’s Privacy and Civil Liberties office, and is also the Agency’s “lead transparency officer” under the DNI’s Intelligence and Transparency Plan. Ben started with CIA in 2016 from the Department of Justice, where he worked on intelligence oversight and transparency.
“Given our mission, we have a greater responsibility than I think almost anyone to an adherence to the truth.”
~ Ben Huebner, CIA’s lead transparency officer
Balancing the value of transparency with the necessity of secrecy at CIA is no easy feat, as Ben can attest to.
“There can be some significant and dismal costs to our mission if we get it wrong,” says Ben. “But there are sometimes just as significant, and sometimes harder to see, costs in being overly secretive. Trying to find where that line is takes a lot of effort.”
If you’ve ever wondered why one of the most secretive organizations in the world cares about transparency, or how we go about protecting privacy and civil liberties, then keep reading.