Documents recently obtained by the ACLU indicate that federal agencies have repeatedly violated legal limits governing the surveillance of American citizens.
Although a court ordered the (heavily redacted) release of 900 previously classified documents, government reps refused to disclose the exact number of telephone conversations, e-mails and other forms of communications intercepted under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act – or FISA Amendments Act of 2008.
Nevertheless, internal reports by the US Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence identified “ongoing” breaches of legal stipulations established to limit the surveillance of American citizens and minimize digital data collection.
“Each [incident] – individually or collectively – may be indicative of patterns, trends, or underlying causes, that might have broader implications,” read one of the documents.
“[This underscores] the need for continued focus on measures to address underlying causes.”
Unsurprisingly, the ALCU responded to the above-mentioned reports by noting that the FISA-related violations “targeting and minimization procedures…likely means that citizens and residents’ communications were either being improperly collected or ‘targeted’ or improperly retained and disseminated.”
[Via Washington Post]
