The NSA might have quietly killed the surveillance program exposed by Edward Snowden

NSA headquarters
(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

The National Security Agency is considering ending a phone metadata collection program that was originally made public by fugitive NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources who say the program lacks operational value.

The NSA has not used the latest iteration of the program in six months, and it may not request its renewal when it expires in December, The New York Times says, citing comments on a Lawfare podcast by Luke Murry, the national security adviser to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.