As U.S. intelligence agencies ramp up their efforts against China, top officials acknowledge they may also end up collecting more phone calls and emails from Chinese Americans, raising new concerns about spying affecting civil liberties.

A new report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence makes several recommendations, including expanding unconscious bias training and reiterating internally that federal law bans targeting someone solely due to their ethnicity.

U.S. intelligence agencies are under constant pressure to better understand China's decision-making on issues including nuclear weapons,geopolitics and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic -- and have responded with new centres and programs focusing on Beijing. While there's bipartisan support for a tougher U.S. approach to China, civil rights groups and advocates are concerned about the disparate effect of enhanced surveillance on people of Chinese descent.

As one example, people who speak to relatives or contacts in China could be more likely to have their communications swept up, though intelligence agencies can't quantify how often due in part to civil liberties concerns.

There's a long history of U.S. government discrimination against groups of citizens in the name of national security. Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps during World War II, Black leaders were spied upon during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and mosques were surveilled after the Sept. 11 attacks. Chinese Americans have faced discrimination going back to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first law to explicitly ban immigration from a specific ethnic community.

Aryani Ong, co-founder of the advocacy group Asian American Federal Employees for Non-Discrimination, noted that people of Asian descent are sometimes "not fully trusted as loyal Americans." She said the report, published May 31, would be useful to conversations about what she described as the conflation of civil rights and national defence.

Ong and other advocates pointed to the Justice Department's "China Initiative," created to target economic espionage and hacking operations by Beijing. The department dropped the name of the program after it had come to be associated with faltering prosecutions of Asian American professors at U.S. college campuses.

"Often we hear responses that we cannot weaken our national security, as if protecting constitutional rights of Asian Americans (is) contrary to our defence," said Ong, who is Indonesian and Chinese American.

But in trying to produce demographic data on the impact of surveillance, the intelligence agencies say there's a paradox: Examining the backgrounds of U.S. citizens whose data is collected requires more intrusion into those people's lives.

"To try to find out that type of information would require additional collection that would absolutely not be authorized because it isn't for the foreign intelligence purpose for which the intelligence community gets its authorities," Ben Huebner, the chief civil liberties officer for Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, said in an interview.

But, Huebner added, "I think the fact that we can't analytically get to those types of metrics doesn't mean that we get to sort of drop the ball on this."

One potential disparity highlighted by the report is what's known as "incidental collection."

In surveilling a foreign target, intelligence agencies can obtain the target's communications with a U.S. citizen who isn't under investigation. The agencies also collect phone calls or emails of U.S. citizens as they sweep for foreign communications.

The National Security Agency has vast powers to surveil domestic and foreign communications, as revealed in part by documents leaked by Edward Snowden. Under NSA rules, two people have to sign off on putting any new foreign target under surveillance. The NSA masks the identities of U.S. citizens under federal law and intelligence guidelines and turns over potential domestic leads to the FBI.

The FBI can access some of the NSA's collection without a warrant. Civil rights advocates have long argued that searches under what's known as Section 702 disproportionately target minority communities.

The ODNI report notes that Chinese Americans "may be an increased risk of such incidental collection," as are Americans not of Chinese ancestry who have business or personal ties to China. The report recommends a review of artificial intelligence programs to ensure they "avoid perpetuating historical biases and discrimination." It also suggests agencies across the intelligence community expand unconscious bias training for people who handle information from incidental collection.

ODNI is also studying delays in granting security clearances and whether people of Chinese or Asian descent face longer or more invasive background investigations. While there is no publicly available data on clearances, some applicants from minority communities have questioned whether they undergo extra scrutiny due to their race or ethnicity. According to the report, U.S. intelligence assesses that "neither race nor ethnicity is the primary criterion utilized by the PRC's intelligence services in their recruitment of intelligence assets."

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that he welcomed the recommendations "to increase awareness of existing non-discrimination prohibitions and improve transparency around the security clearance process."

But Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who is the committee's vice chairman, said requiring new training on unconscious bias and cultural competency was a distraction.

"The Chinese Communist Party likes nothing more than when we are distracted by divisive, internal politics," Rubio said in a statement.

The ODNI report highlights FBI training on race and ethnicity as a "best practice" in the intelligence community. In a statement, the FBI said that there was "no place for bias and prejudice in our communities" and that law enforcement "must work to eliminate these flawed beliefs in our agencies to best serve those we are sworn to protect. The FBI said its agents are trained in "obedience to the Constitution" and in "treating everyone with dignity, empathy and respect."

A senior NSA official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters, said the agency currently requires unconscious bias training for managers and hiring officials, but not all employees. The NSA does train intelligence analysts on rules that prohibit the collection of intelligence for suppressing dissent or disadvantaging people based on their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, and is reviewing ODNI's recommendations.

The CIA late last year issued new instructions to officers discouraging the use of the word "Chinese" to describe China's government. The guidance suggests referring to the leadership as "China," "the People's Republic of China" or "PRC," or "Beijing," while using "Chinese" to refer to the people, language or culture.

"It's important to be clear that our concern is about the threat posed by the People's Republic of China, the PRC -- not about the people of China, let alone fellow Americans of Chinese or Asian descent," CIA Director William Burns said in a recent speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "It is a profound mistake to conflate the two."

Canada agreed to 'forever discharge' Catholic entities from their promise to raise $25 million for residential school survivors and also picked up their legal bill, a final release document shows.

Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.

Court documents allege an eastern Ontario doctor killed four people around the same date in 2021.

Canadians across the country have a shot at seeing the northern lights this weekend thanks to a series of solar flares and storms over the past few days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O'Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person chosen to sit on Canada's top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.

Two pilots are believed to have fallen asleep and missed their landing during a flight from Sudan to Ethiopia on Monday, according to a report by commercial aviation news site Aviation Herald.

The current purchase of a historic Ottawa church slated to become an 'embassy' for a group affiliated with the Freedom Convoy has fallen through, according to documents obtained by CTV News. But The United People of Canada director said it was his understanding the deal was still in place.

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he didn't take any classified information with him when he left office.

A Calgary man who bilked his clients out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for what the judge called a deliberate and large-scale fraud.

Canada agreed to 'forever discharge' Catholic entities from their promise to raise $25 million for residential school survivors and also picked up their legal bill, a final release document shows.

The current purchase of a historic Ottawa church slated to become an 'embassy' for a group affiliated with the Freedom Convoy has fallen through, according to documents obtained by CTV News. But The United People of Canada director said it was his understanding the deal was still in place.

A Calgary man who bilked his clients out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for what the judge called a deliberate and large-scale fraud.

Court documents allege an eastern Ontario doctor killed four people around the same date in 2021.

Canadians across the country have a shot at seeing the northern lights this weekend thanks to a series of solar flares and storms over the past few days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A father-son duo from Hamilton have set off on a cross-country drive, centered around raising awareness for cancer research and cherishing the time they have left together. On Friday, Ray Osborn and his son drove down to Windsor to pick up a newly restored 1927 Ford Model A. The two are taking it for a drive from Windsor to Vancouver for what Osborn calls "his last big journey."

Two pilots are believed to have fallen asleep and missed their landing during a flight from Sudan to Ethiopia on Monday, according to a report by commercial aviation news site Aviation Herald.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Friday she had taken a drugs test following the publication of video footage this week that showed her partying with friends, and vowed she had never used illegal drugs.

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he didn't take any classified information with him when he left office.

Nicaraguan police on Friday raided the residence of a Roman Catholic bishop critical of President Daniel Ortega's administration, detaining him and several other priests in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the church and a government increasingly intolerant of dissent.

A judge refused to grant bail Thursday to the man accused of trying to kill Salman Rushdie as the acclaimed author prepared to give a talk in western New York.

A Mexican immigrant was sentenced to 38 years in prison for killing an Arizona convenience store clerk during a 2015 robbery that was cited by former president Donald Trump and other Republicans in complaints about immigrants who commit crimes while in the U.S. illegally.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told the House of Commons transport committee the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting labour shortages are to blame for the significant wait times at Canadian airports, and said the ArriveCAN app is here to stay.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O'Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person chosen to sit on Canada's top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hinting that an energy pact planned between Canada and Germany will focus more on Canada's aim to be a long-term clean energy supplier to the world.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.

Federal health officials confirmed Friday that a Nebraska child died from a rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in a river near Omaha.

A new study has found an increased risk of certain long COVID-19 symptoms up to two years after an original infection.

When we think of medieval friars, we may well picture Robin Hood's jolly Friar Tuck, known for his rotund figure and love of food and drink.

Canadians across the country have a shot at seeing the northern lights this weekend thanks to a series of solar flares and storms over the past few days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Amazon appears to be getting the TikTok bug, joining other companies seeking to hold consumers' attention by introducing replicas of the popular social platform.

A woman who says she was sexually abused hundreds of times by R. Kelly as a minor testified Friday that she agonized several years ago about whether to co-operate with federal investigators who were looking into child abuse allegations involving the singer, but she ultimately did because she didn't want to 'carry his lies.'

Actor and filmmaker Jonah Hill is stepping back from promoting his films, including his debut documentary, due to anxiety attacks.

This week, pop culture critic Richard Crouse reviews new movies: 'Beast,' 'Orphan: First Kill,' 'Sharp Stick,' 'Day Shift' and 'Carmen.'

A Chinese-born Canadian tycoon who disappeared from Hong Kong in 2017 was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for a multibillion-dollar string of financial offenses and his company was fined US$8.1 billion, a court announced.

Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.

Canadian retail sales increased 1.1 per cent to $63.1 billion in June, boosted by higher sales at gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Lab-grown diamonds have become so popular with consumers that some couples are asking jewelers to swap the natural diamond in their rings for a lab-created sparkler.

A Toronto-based disability advocate is using the power of TikTok to raise awareness over the lack of wheelchair accessibility at many restaurants and bars.

Two years after a secret bike park deep in an Ontario forest was discovered and later demolished, new dirt jumps are opening just a stone's throw away.

Felix Auger-Aliassime earned a berth into the quarterfinals Thursday with a comeback win over Jannik Sinner at the Western & Southern Open Masters-level tennis tournament.

Vanessa Bryant, widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, broke down at times Friday as she testified that she experiences panic attacks and anxiety over the possibility of seeing photos from the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, their teenage daughter and seven others.

Canada will play for gold at the world junior hockey championship after downing Czechia 5-2 in a semifinal on Friday.

Bugatti has unveiled what the French automaker hopes will be the world's fastest convertible. The 1,600-horsepower, $5 million W16 Mistral is, essentially, an open-topped version of the Bugatti Chiron supercar, though there are major design differences.

She may only have her learner’s licence, but that hasn’t held a 16-year-old Comox Valley, B.C., teen back from working towards her goal of being a professional driver. Nicole Haverda got the green light on her desire to be a professional race car driver four years ago when her father took her to a Formula One race in Europe.

General Motors is recalling more than 484,000 large SUVs in the U.S. to fix a problem that can cause the third-row seat belts to malfunction.

© 2022 All rights reserved. Use of this Website assumes acceptance of Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy