--- title: NSA Leaks: Feds to Scrutinize Security Clearances After Snowden Leaks description: The costly new program will watch for insider threats to prevent leaks and rogue agents canonical: https://time.com/18317/nsa-leaks-edward-snowden-dni-james-clapper/ author: Denver Nicks article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-10T15:05:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:40:54.031Z article:section: Politics og:title: NSA Leaks: Feds to Scrutinize Security Clearances After Snowden Leaks og:description: The costly new program will watch for insider threats to prevent leaks and rogue agents og:url: https://time.com/18317/nsa-leaks-edward-snowden-dni-james-clapper/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt052e071d47f600f0/69868426e8524b0c16601aa4/468675245.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Director Of Nat'l Intelligence James Clapper Testifies At Senate Armed Services Hearing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NSA Leaks: Feds to Scrutinize Security Clearances After Snowden Leaks twitter:description: The costly new program will watch for insider threats to prevent leaks and rogue agents twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt052e071d47f600f0/69868426e8524b0c16601aa4/468675245.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Feds to Scrutinize Security Clearances After Leaks > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=80151cac-a88e-4478-a3fc-54216f33f8c4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=80151cac-a88e-4478-a3fc-54216f33f8c4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=80151cac-a88e-4478-a3fc-54216f33f8c4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=80151cac-a88e-4478-a3fc-54216f33f8c4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Mar 10, 2014 3:05 PM UTC  Director Of Nat'l Intelligence James Clapper Testifies At Senate Armed Services Hearing Director Of Nat'l Intelligence James Clapper Testifies At Senate Armed Services Hearing T.J. Kirkpatrick—Getty Images  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Mar 10, 2014 3:05 PM UTC Rougly five million federal employees with security clearances are about come under much [closer scrutiny](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-plans-scan-workers-secret-clearances), under a new internal continuous surveillance system designed to root out troublemakers in the intelligence community. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the U.S. intelligence agencies, will administer a new system that will keep an eye out for any red flags by monitoring the full spectrum federal employees’ electronic lives. The program is a response to a stream of leaks in recent years, most notably by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The system will draw from diverse data sources, including private credit agencies, law enforcement records, licenses, public record databases, social media and polygraph tests, according to the Associated Press, which reviewed documents associated with the new program and spoke to current and former officials familiar with the DNI’s plan. DNI chief James Clapper said the system “is going to be costly,” the AP reports. The Department of Defense spent $84 million over the past 10 years developing a similar system on which the DNI’s monitoring system is based. Officials from unions that represent federal employees have raised alarm about the extent of the program’s surveillance and the risk that government employees’ private data could fall into the wrong hands. Private contractors working on the system would likely have access to private data collected on employees. “As a result of the Snowden disclosures I think we’re seeing what an open book workers’ lives are becoming,” said David Borer, the general counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees. \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-plans-scan-workers-secret-clearances)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/18317/nsa-leaks-edward-snowden-dni-james-clapper/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/18317/nsa-leaks-edward-snowden-dni-james-clapper/"},"headline":"Feds to Scrutinize Security Clearances After Leaks","datePublished":"2014-03-10T15:05:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:40:54.031Z","description":"The costly new program will watch for insider threats to prevent leaks and rogue agents","url":"https://time.com/18317/nsa-leaks-edward-snowden-dni-james-clapper/","keywords":["Domestic Surveillance","NSA","Edward Snowden"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt052e071d47f600f0/69868426e8524b0c16601aa4/468675245.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt052e071d47f600f0/69868426e8524b0c16601aa4/468675245.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Director Of Nat'l Intelligence James Clapper Testifies At Senate Armed Services Hearing","caption":"Director Of Nat'l Intelligence James Clapper Testifies At Senate Armed Services Hearing","creditText":"T.J. Kirkpatrick—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/domestic-surveillance/","name":"Domestic Surveillance"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/18317/nsa-leaks-edward-snowden-dni-james-clapper/","name":"Feds to Scrutinize Security Clearances After Leaks"}}]}] ```