NSA will destroy nearly 10 years of phone records
The National Security Agency will destroy nearly 10 years of phone records collected from millions of Americans, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Monday.
When President Obama signed into law a revised version of the Patriot Act in June following contentious congressional debate, the NSA lost its legal ability to collect the bulk records. Going forward, intelligence agencies must seek targeted records directly from phone companies. Since the amendment became law, White House officials have been discussing whether to keep the existing records going forward.
The bulk collection program, first implemented under President George W. Bush, came under scrutiny after whistleblower Edward Snowden brought the policy to the public's attention in 2013.
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Phone records connected to pending lawsuits will be preserved.
