El Reg forces NSA to act

Just one day after we complained that the US intelligence agencies' new transparency council hasn’t even named its members, the NSA has responded.

Clearly cowed by our searing exposition, the American spy agency has appointed Rebecca Richards, its director of civil liberties and privacy, to the council and also given her the title of the agency's first "transparency officer".

It is of course also possible that the NSA was planning to announce her appointment anyway and our story had no impact whatsoever. But then that's what they want you to believe.

It is worth noting however that there are another 15 unnamed representatives to the council. As of today, the council also does not have an online presence, or meeting agenda, or list of meetings, or any provision for publishing minutes, reports or recommendations. And it will meet in private. ®