News

Secret Court OKs Continued U.S. Phone Surveillance

by db

07.19.13 | 1:31 pm

This Sept. 19, 2007, file photo, shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. The government is secretly collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top-secret ... This Sept. 19, 2007, file photo, shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. The government is secretly collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top-secret court order, according to the Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Cailf., chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Obama administration is defending the National Security Agency's need to collect such records, but critics are calling it a huge over-reach. MORE LESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — A secret intelligence court has decided to continue an order that forces Verizon Communications to turn over hundreds of millions of telephone records to the government each day in its search for foreign terror or espionage suspects.

The longstanding Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court order must be renewed every three months. It had been set to expire Friday.

National Intelligence Director James Clapper announced the new order.

The surveillance program has been under intense scrutiny since June, when former CIA employee and National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked details of two top secret U.S. surveillance programs that critics say violate privacy rights.

Snowden has been charged with espionage and is seeking asylum from several countries, including Russia.

Send Tips

Secret Court OKs Continued U.S. Phone Surveillance

Start the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com