7. Operation CHAOS: Domestic Surveillance Overreach
In the 1960s and 1970s, the CIA initiated Operation CHAOS, a covert program aimed at monitoring anti-war and civil rights activists within the United States. Despite being prohibited from domestic surveillance, the agency amassed secret files on over 7,000 Americans, scrutinizing their activities and potential foreign influences. The operation’s existence was exposed in 1974, leading to public outcry and subsequent reforms (en.wikipedia.org).
