Is this the beginning of the end for NSA bulk data collection?

The Obama administration is preparing to unveil legislation to prevent the National Security Agency from systematically collecting data on phone calls, The New York Times reports. While telephone companies would still keep the call records for 18 months, as currently required by law, the NSA would only have access to that data with permission from a judge.

That's a step in the right direction, according to Jameel Jaffer of the American Civil Liberties Union. "We have many questions about the details, but we agree with the administration that the NSA's bulk collection of call records should end," he tells The Times. "As we've argued since the program was disclosed, the government can track suspected terrorists without placing millions of people under permanent surveillance." The data collection was revealed through leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The Obama proposal joins several other bills in Congress to address the NSA data culling.

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