NSA Wants To End Mass Phone Data Collection Program

According to a new report, the National Security Agency has recommended to the White House that its mass U.S. phone data collection program may be ended. The agency is reportedly of the view that this program, which gathers metadata on domestic text messages and phone calls, has become too burdensome to continue operating.

The Wall Street Journal hears from sources that the National Security Agency is now in favor of ending this massive data collection program. However, the final decision rests with the White House and it’s going to be the one to decide whether new legislation is to be pushed which will extend the program’s legal authority, which is commonly referred to as Section 215.

The White House may not have decided as yet what it’s going to do about this program, according to the report, and it has now responded to any reports about the matter as yet. The NSA’s recommendation follows earlier reports that the agency was considering giving up the program due to technical difficulties. A report also mentioned that the program hadn’t even been used for the past six months.

There have been some efforts from lawmakers as well who would like to see this program put to rest. A group of bipartisan legislators moved a bill which would not only end the program but would also prevent the NSA from starting it back up again.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: General
Tags: National Security Agency