If what was described in the hearings yesterday about the phone metadata is true:Reader comment on: Richard Epstein on the National Security Agency Submitted by Lyle (United States), Jun 19, 2013 21:59 Then this whole thing is sort of a tempest in a teapot. According to the folks testifying the data goes into what amounts to a lock box, and when needed the data can be queried. It appears that this happens according to the witnesses about 300 times a year. An analyst needs a supervisor to approve querying the data base. If information is found it is turned over to the FBI and a different set of warrants is then active. What happens they said is they find a number of a foreign terrorist, and ask the database what calls were made. If the other end is in the US the FBI is contacted. The database is essentially a very large copy with the same information as old long distance bills, the number involved the number called from/to the date time and length. Also they said that the FISA court pushes back before making a decision, telling the NSA what is wrong with their filing and how to fix it, as a result things are modified so they don't get bounced. Note: Comments are moderated by the editor and are subject to editing. Other reader comments on this item
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