Report: The Justice Department kept secret records of Americans' foreign calls for more than a decade

The Justice Department kept a secret database tracking U.S. calls to and from foreign countries for more than a decade, according to a new court filing.

The program began in the 1990s and was shut down in August 2013, sources told The Wall Street Journal. The specific countries recorded in the database aren't specified, nor is the total number of countries.

The existence of the database came up in a Thursday case filing regarding a man who conspired to illegally export electronic goods to Iran. A Drug Enforcement Administration official said in the filing that the agency used administrative subpoenas to collect foreign phone call metadata.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up