The report's findings are damning (via Yahoo)...
A report released by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board concluded the NSA's huge phone metadata program is illegal in several ways, and provides little or no value to the fight against terrorism.....
The 238-page report said the program "has shown minimal value in safeguarding the nation from terrorism."
And the panel said the program is not authorized by the Patriot Act, the law passed following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
It said it violates constitutional guarantees of free speech and protection against unreasonable searches, and also fails to comply with a federal privacy law.
Moreover, it said the program threatens to have "debilitating consequences for journalism" because "sources in a position to offer crucial information about newsworthy topics may remain silent out of fear that their telephone records could be used to trace their contacts."
The report also said the NSA stretches the interpretation of what may be "relevant" to a terrorism investigation.
The board, which was set up to create safeguards for privacy and civil liberties for stepped-up anti-terrorism efforts, rejected the notion the NSA program could have prevented the 9/11 attacks.
Edward Snowden praised the report's findings in an online chat today via Free Snowden webste:
"it's time to end "bulk collection" which is a euphemism for mass surveillance. There is no simple justification for continuing an unconstitutional policy with a 0% success rate. In light of another independent confirmation of this fact, i think Americans should look to the White House and Congress to close the book entirely on the 215BR provision."(Click link below to read more)
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