Telecoms never challenged NSA orders
Telecommunications companies have never challenged the US government’s orders to turn over records in the National Security Agency’s spying program, according to a secret court’s opinion that was signed last month and released Tuesday.
A Justice Department official confirmed the validity of the court™s opinion that no telecom company has challenged the legality of an order for records.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Tuesday that “the opinion affirms that the bulk telephony metadata collection is both lawful and constitutional.”
“The release of this opinion is consistent with the president’s call for more transparency on these valuable intelligence programs,” he said in statement, as reported by as the Wall Street Journal.
Judge Claire Eagan’s called to disclose the opinion about the controversial NSA program, which stores the phone records of most Americans.
The judge said the opinion was made public “because of the public interest in this matter.”
The phone-data-collection program was developed under a provision of the Patriot Act that allows the NSA, through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to collect business records “relevant to an authorized investigation.”
The NSA claimed that all US phone-call records were “relevant” to terrorism investigations. The records, called “metadata,” include phone numbers people dialed and where they were calling from.
In June, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked one of the secret court orders demanding records form Verizon Communications Inc. Former officials say similar orders have been issued to AT&T Inc. and Sprint Corp.
According to the Journal, Judge Eagan has served as a federal trial judge in Oklahoma since 2001 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. She is a newcomer to the surveillance court, joining it when Chief Justice John Roberts appointed her in February.
Civil libertarians said the secret court’s opinion showed the court is too deferential to the government.
“The opinion only confirms the folly of entrusting Americans’ privacy rights to a court that meets in secret and hears argument only from the government,” said American Civil Liberties Union Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer.
ARA/ARA
Copyright: Press TV
Source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/telecoms-never-challenged-nsa-orders/70656/
