A legal loophole approved in October 2011 allows for National Security Agency
analysts to access the emails and phone call records of U. S.
citizens.
An NSA analyst can use “certain United States persons names, ”
phone numbers, email addresses or other identifying bits of metadata to check
for matches contained in various NSA databases, the Guardian
reports.
According to the NSA, a U. S. person, as defined by federal law
and executive order is: “a citizen of the United States; an alien lawfully
admitted for permanent residence; an unincorporated association with a
substantial number of members who are citizens of the U. S. or are aliens
lawfully admitted for permanent residence; or a corporation that is incorporated
in the U. S. ”
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According to the new document
published by the Guardian, an NSA analyst was not allowed to query the
information of a United States person “until an effective oversight process” had
been developed by the agency and and agreed to by the Justice Department and the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The latest revelations
provided to the Guardian by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden come despite
repeated denials by the Obama administration and U. S. intelligence officials
that the agency is spying on Americans.
Since Snowden’s disclosures began
in June, intelligence officials have attempted to assure members of Congress and
the public that the programs are under strict oversight and access to the
information is limited to a select number of individuals.
By accessing
the metadata embedded in the document, the Guardian was able to determine that
the reported document was last updated in June 2012.
President Obama told
late night talk show host Jay Leno on Wednesday that the controversial spy
programs were not a “domestic surveillance program, ” a sentiment NSA Director
Gen. Keith Alexander repeated during a panel on Thursday.
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