This article was published on May 7, 2015

NSA bulk metadata collection ruled illegal by federal court


NSA bulk metadata collection ruled illegal by federal court

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today filed big ruling against the NSA. The court found the bulk collection of telephone metadata by the agency was illegal according to federal law.

In particular, the text of the ruling suggests that the NSA’s collection went beyond what was allowed by section 215 of the PATRIOT Act – the surveillance law passed after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

The move could lead towards a stronger legal footing towards a reform of the NSA’s methods, which were first made public after Edward Snowden’s leaks.

The full text of the ruling can be read here.

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