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Here's a most excellent timeline of data mining, starting with 2001 and going to 2012. I think this need to be posted here as many of you don't seem to remember that data mining has been happening for some time now, and under Obama, the program is as strong as ever.
The Domestic Surveillance Boom, From Bush to Obama | Mother Jones
2001 September 11: Nearly 3,000 people are killed when terrorists fly planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and crash another in Pennsylvania. Soon afterward, the NSA begins a "special collection program" to track the communications of Al Qaeda leaders and suspected terrorists.
George W. Bush speaks at the NSA in 2002.NSA
October 4: President George W. Bush secretly authorizes the NSA to track suspected terrorists by monitoring domestic communications without a warrant. The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Actprohibits the government from eavesdropping inside the United States without first getting a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, also known as the FISA court.
October 26: Bush signs the Patriot Act. The law expands the government's electronic surveillance powers. "The existing law was written in the era of rotary telephones. This new law that I sign today will allow surveillance of all communications used by terrorists, including emails, the internet, and cellphones," Bush declares.
The Domestic Surveillance Boom, From Bush to Obama | Mother Jones