The Obama administration formally proposed ending the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of all US phone data on Thursday.
Nearly 10 months after the Guardian exposed the controversial program, based on leaks from Edward Snowden, President Obama announced he would seek legislation that would require the NSA to seek an individual order from the secret Fisa court before phone companies turn over data on their customers.
While bulk phone data would no longer be collected by NSA, phone companies would, in response to a court order, turn over a suspicious phone number, as well as all the numbers it called and received, and all numbers those numbers called and received.
Analysts could search that data for connections on a «limited» and «circumscribed» basis, a senior official said, but the administration has yet to decide on a specific time period.
The Obama administration is seeking legislation to enact the changes, but it has not settled between competing proposals currently before Congress.
«I am confident that this approach can provide our intelligence and law enforcement professionals the information they need to keep us safe while addressing the legitimate privacy concerns that have been raised,» Obama said in a statement.
The current bulk collection program, which has existed in various forms since 2001, will continue under the authorization of the Fisa court for another 90-day period until legislation along the administration guidelines passes, the official said.
Nearly 10 months after the Guardian exposed the controversial program, based on leaks from Edward Snowden, President Obama announced he would seek legislation that would require the NSA to seek an individual order from the secret Fisa court before phone companies turn over data on their customers.
While bulk phone data would no longer be collected by NSA, phone companies would, in response to a court order, turn over a suspicious phone number, as well as all the numbers it called and received, and all numbers those numbers called and received.
Analysts could search that data for connections on a «limited» and «circumscribed» basis, a senior official said, but the administration has yet to decide on a specific time period.
The Obama administration is seeking legislation to enact the changes, but it has not settled between competing proposals currently before Congress.
«I am confident that this approach can provide our intelligence and law enforcement professionals the information they need to keep us safe while addressing the legitimate privacy concerns that have been raised,» Obama said in a statement.
The current bulk collection program, which has existed in various forms since 2001, will continue under the authorization of the Fisa court for another 90-day period until legislation along the administration guidelines passes, the official said.
