Skip to main content

Court gives the NSA permission to continue phone metadata collection for now

court rules nsa resume phone metadata collection building headquarters
Headquarters of the NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland. NSA
In a decision that is sure to irk privacy advocates, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruled that the National Security Agency (NSA) can temporarily resume its once-secret bulk collection of Americans’ phone metadata, reports the New York Times. However, after 180 days, the NSA will still have to end the practice as per the Freedom Act.

The NSA’s phone data collection program originally ended on June 1, when Section 215 of the U.S. Patriot Act expired. President Barack Obama then signed the Freedom Act, which shifted phone data collection from the NSA’s hands to phone companies’, two days later. His administration also applied to restart the program for six months after the bill was signed to give the agency time to transition the program.

The Freedom Act amended Section 215 to require the government to define a “specific selection term,” such as a phone number, to access the phone companies’ records. The law also forbids the collection of “all call detail records” held by phone companies.

All of this was done in response to a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which stated that Section 215 could not be interpreted as allowing any kind of bulk collection. However, the Freedom Act did not include any language to address the ruling, so it remained unclear whether the data collection was legal or not.

Then, in late June, Judge Michael W. Mosman stated that the program could resume for the remaining 180 days granted by the Freedom Act and argued that the Second Circuit was wrong in saying that the program was not authorized to collect that data.

“Second Circuit rulings are not binding on the FISC and this court respectfully disagrees with that court’s analysis, especially in view of the intervening enactment of the U.S.A. Freedom Act,” wrote Judge Mosman in his 26-page decision.

In response, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated that it will ask the Second Circuit Court — which initially ruled against the NSA program — to issue a temporary injunction to prevent the resumption of the program. Of course, even if the NSA is forced to stop metadata collection, that doesn’t mean all of its programs will be gone for good.

Even the Freedom Act, which Senator Ron Wyden (D-Or.) hailed as “the most significant victory for Americans’ privacy rights in more than a decade,” still includes questionable provisions, such as the “roving wiretap” and “lone wolf.” These provisions allow local and federal law enforcement to track and tap an individual’s activities and devices, even if there aren’t proven links between the user and any known terrorist organizations.

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
The iPhone 16 Pro Max may get a very important battery upgrade
An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying face-down outside, showing the Natural Titanium color.

iPhone 16 dummy models Sonny Dickson / X

The iPhone 16 still has many months to go before its anticipated announcement in the fall, but we’ve already gotten a slew of rumors, leaks, and speculation about its specs and capabilities. One of the latest rumors about the iPhone 16 Pro Max comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and it regards a new battery Apple is putting into the device.

Read more
Best Google Pixel deals: Save on Pixel 8, Pixel Buds, and Pixel Watch
The home screen on the Google Pixel 8 Pro.

If you’ve been shopping headphone deals, smartwatch deals, or phone deals and haven’t found the savings you’re looking for, we’d like to introduce you to Google’s Pixel lineup. It has a lot to offer when it comes to mobile devices, and most of them can keep up with the likes of Apple and Samsung. Many people love Google’s software ecosystem, with the various generations of the Google Pixel phone often among the best Android phones. We’ve tracked down all of the best Google Pixel deals you can shop right now. Same of the standouts are Google Pixel 8 deals and Google Pixel Fold deals, so read onward for all of the details on how to save.
Google Pixel Buds Pro -- $140, was $200

If you need new wireless earbuds, you should check out the various models of the Google Pixel Buds, particularly the Google Pixel Buds Pro currently discounted. They offer long battery life, and while they're at their best when you're connecting them to another Pixel device or an Android-powered smartphone, you can also use with with iPhones or other Bluetooth-enabled gadgets.

Read more
Best Apple Watch deals: Series 9 and Ultra 2 discounted
Someone wearing an Apple Watch Ultra 2, showing the Modular Ultra watch face.

You can find some great smartwatch deals among the current Samsung Galaxy Watch deals, Fitbit deals, and Google Pixel Watch deals, but if Apple is your brand and you’ve got good use for a smartwatch, you’re probably looking for some Apple Watch deals. The Apple Watch lineup often finds various models atop the best smartwatches, which can make it difficult to track down some savings. But we’ve managed to find some, and we’ve rounded up all of the best Apple Watch deals below. Reading onward you’ll find savings on nearly all of the current Apple Watch models, as well as some substantial savings on some refurbished models.
Best Apple Watch SE deals

The first-generation Apple Watch SE, which was released in 2020, and the second-generation Apple Watch SE, which was rolled out in 2022, are the most affordable ways of getting an Apple Watch. They don't give up too much in order to keep costs low compared to their more expensive peers though. The Apple Watch SE 2, in particular, still provides comprehensive fitness tracking features, a comfortable fit, and excellent software as it can be updated to Apple's latest watchOS 10.

Read more