01-23-2014, 08:20 AM
Independent federal review board reportedly says NSA phone data collection program should end
Just another Independant Federal Review Board for ZERO to ignore.
Just another Independant Federal Review Board for ZERO to ignore.
Quote:An independent federal review board has said that the National Security Agency's phone data collection program is illegal and should be immediately shut down.
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) was scheduled to release its full report on the NSA program Thursday following a four-month review. Copies of the report were first obtained by The New York Times and The Washington Post.
The report concluded that the NSA collection raises "constitutional concerns" with regard to U.S. citizens' rights of speech, association and privacy. "The connections revealed by the extensive database of telephone records gathered under the program will necessarily include relationships established among individuals and groups for political, religious, and other expressive purposes," it said. "Compelled disclosure to the government of information revealing these associations can have a chilling effect on the exercise of First Amendment rights."
The panel added that the program "lacks a viable legal foundation under Section 215 [of the Patriot Act], implicates constitutional concerns under the First and Fourth Amendments, raises serious threats to privacy and civil liberties as a policy matter, and has shown only limited value ... As a result, the board recommends that the government end the program."