The Deep Dives were made possible by Executive Order 12333<\/a> \u2013 a Reagan-era order that allows widespread data collection, and data-sharing with the CIA, in the name of national security.<\/p>\n These documents reveal serious problems associated with warrantless backdoor searches of Americans<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The senators wanted a review of the documents’ status because they felt the CIA had conducted a bulk information collection effort that harvested data on US citizens \u2013 probably illegally. Declassifying the documents, they argued, was necessary as the public has a right to know what the CIA gets up to, and to ensure Congress could exercise oversight of the agency.<\/p>\n On February 10, some of the documents they wanted declassified were published, among them a heavily-redacted PCLOB report<\/a> [PDF] that focuses on CIA collection of financial information during counterterrorism activities aimed at Islamic State.<\/p>\n\n