Thursday, May 7, 2015

Federal judge rules the NSA does not have the authority to mass collect phone info.

I am on my way out the door so this is quick and dirty.

NSA lacks authority to collect data on all U.S. phone calls, federal court rules

Los Angeles Times | May 7, 2015 | 7:20 AM
The National Security Agency does not have legal authority to collect and store data on all U.S. telephone calls, ?a federal appeals court ruled today.

The decision, the first by an appellate court on the government's sweeping data-collection program, says the Patriot Act does not give the NSA the authority it claims to collect so-called metadata on calls by people who are not specific targets of investigations.

3 comments:

Dan said...

As if the opinions of the impotent courts mattered. The only court opinions enforced by the other two thirds of the government are the ones that serve their needs. All others are ignored. To both the Executive branch and Congress the law is something to be used as a weapon against people they don't like, never as a constraint on their conduct.

Anonymous said...

Well said, Dan. I couldn't agree more.

BadTux said...

I gotta agree with Dan here. The program was illegal from day one. Congress then passed some patch-up laws to make it "legal" after its existence became known, but in the words of Preznit Shrub, "the Constitution is just a piece of paper." I have seen no sign that the Big Zero views it any different than the Shrubbery did.

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