Thursday, May 11, 2006

Report: NSA Has Call Data On Millions

DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE

This undated handout photo provided by the National Trust shows the Vesey Street Staircase in New York City, the only surviving above-ground remnant of the original World Trade Center, a vivid and haunting reminder of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (AP Photo/Robert Kornfeld, Jr. and Richard Zimbler, National Trust)
The Vesey Street Staircase in New York City, the only surviving above-ground remnant of the original World Trade Center.

UPDATED: Poll: Most Americans Support NSA Data Mining

COMMENTLINE
It appears USA Today is hyping this story in an effort to sandbag President Bush's nomination of Gen. Michael Hayden to become the director of the CIA.

For a long time, most folks have assumed their calling records were private. However, a few months ago we learned that call records could be easily bought directly from telecommunications providers.

Frankly, after it became news how easy it is to buy our phone records, I pretty much assumed the NSA was gathering the information.

Reporters did not develop the story until now.

It stands to reason by coincidence that the information was leaked to the press by those who want the news to impede the Hayden nomination. (Hayden was head of the NSA in 2001 when the agency is reported to have started collecting data about phone calls.)

While it is mildly disturbing that the NSA has been almost freely compiling phone information Americans have perhaps mistakenly assumed was private, it is totally disturbing that information about this kind of top secret program has been leaked to the press by those holding high security clearances and charged with the duty of protecting our country.

NEWSLINE
[USA Today] reports that while the NSA program amassed the data, this program does not involve the NSA actually listening to or recording conversations, the newspaper reports. According to USA TODAY's sources, the NSA is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity.

NEWSBYTES
NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls
USA TODAY -- The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

Questions and answers about the NSA phone record collection program

Report: NSA Has Call Data On Millions
(CBS/AP) -- The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, a newspaper reports Thursday.

NSA has database of domestic US phone calls: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The agency in charge of a domestic spying program has been secretly collecting phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, including calls made within the United States, USA Today reported on Thursday.

RELATED
British Say 3 Terror Attacks Prevented
LONDON (AP) -- British police and intelligence officers have prevented three terrorist attacks in Britain since the deadly transit bombings in July, a top government official said Thursday.

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