A group of prominent technologists submitted a letter today to the NSA Review Group, a body charged with conducting a review of NSA activities that does not currently have a technologist as a member. The letter urges the Review Group to seek assistance from independent technologists in order to conduct a thorough review, and that NSA oversight more broadly requires greater transparency with respect to the technical mechanisms used to conduct surveillance.

The letter also stressed that the National Security Agency's efforts to undermine encryption and secure communications technology have sabotaged the general security and privacy of users worldwide, and that much greater respect should be afforded to security and civil liberties considerations in order to prevent further damage to our country's values and to our economy.

The letter's delivery was coordinated by technologists from Center for Democracy and Technology and EFF as part of the NSA Review Group's request for public comments. The full list of 47 technologists who have signed the document is re-printed below. Affiliations are for identification purposes only.