N.S.A.’s intercepts exceed limits set by Congress

The National Security Agency intercepted private e-mail messages and phone calls of Americans in recent months on a scale that went beyond the broad legal limits established by Congress last year, government officials said in recent interviews.

Several intelligence officials, as well as lawyers briefed about the matter, said the N.S.A. had been engaged in “overcollection” of domestic communications of Americans. They described the practice as significant and systemic, although one official said it was believed to have been unintentional.

The legal and operational problems surrounding the N.S.A.’s surveillance activities have come under scrutiny from the Obama administration, Congressional intelligence committees and a secret national security court, said the intelligence officials, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because N.S.A. activities are classified. Classified government briefings have been held in recent weeks in response to a brewing controversy that some officials worry could damage the credibility of legitimate intelligence-gathering efforts.

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PeteEU said:

non story, since it was the Republicans that were in charge, and since they are untouchable.

On the other hand, how DARE Obama question the NSA.. does Obama hate America?

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They described the practice as significant and systemic, although one official said it was believed to have been unintentional.

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The Justice Department, in response to inquiries from The New York Times, acknowledged Wednesday night that there had been problems with the N.S.A. surveillance operation, but said they had been resolved.

As part of a periodic review of the agency’s activities, the department “detected issues that raised concerns,” it said. Justice Department officials then “took comprehensive steps to correct the situation and bring the program into compliance” with the law and court orders, the statement said. It added that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. went to the national security court to seek a renewal of the surveillance program only after new safeguards were put in place.

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Officials would not discuss details of the overcollection problem because it involves classified intelligence-gathering techniques. But the issue appears focused in part on technical problems in the N.S.A.’s ability at times to distinguish between communications inside the United States and those overseas as it uses its access to American telecommunications companies’ fiber-optic lines and its own spy satellites to intercept millions of calls and e-mail messages.

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PeteEU said:

non story, since it was the Republicans that were in charge, and since they are untouchable.

On the other hand, how DARE Obama question the NSA.. does Obama hate America?

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Ikari said:

NYT: NSA intercepts exceed limits set by Congress - The New York Times- msnbc.com



Not spying on us huh? No domestic spying, everything is ok. Remember that line. So Congress gave the NSA a HUGE parameter space in which to work, and they still exceeded it! This stuff is maybe getting out of hand here, I'm well convinced that the NSA needs to be shut down (though so should the Department of Homeland Security). Any organization outside academia which hires that many PhD mathematicians you know is doing something shady.

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RightinNYC said:

This all sounds overblown. I see no reason to believe that the Bush and Obama administrations are conspiring to lie to us and Congress about this.

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RightinNYC said:

This all sounds overblown. I see no reason to believe that the Bush and Obama administrations are conspiring to lie to us and Congress about this.

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Dav said:

Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus.
FDR forced all Japanese Americans to go to concentration camps.
Bush and Obama spied on people who they thought could be terrorists.

Let's keep things in perspective here.

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