Posted on 09/04/2020 7:32:04 PM PDT by hapnHal
NSA surveillance exposed by Snowden ruled unlawful
A National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance program has been ruled unlawful, seven years after it was exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The surveillance of millions of Americans' telephone records first came to light in 2013.
Now, the US Court of Appeals has ruled intelligence leaders who publicly defended the program lied. And Mr Snowden has said he feels vindicated by the ruling.
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He currently lives in exile in Moscow but, last year, expressed his wish to return to the US, where he faces espionage charges over his decision to go public.
“I never imagined that I would live to see our courts condemn the NSA’s activities as unlawful and in the same ruling credit me for exposing them,” Mr Snowden said. "And yet that day has arrived," he added.
Top US intelligence officials had publicly insisted the NSA had never knowingly collected data from private phone records, until Mr Snowden exposed evidence to the contrary in 2013.
Following the revelation, officials said the NSA's surveillance program had played a crucial role in fighting domestic terrorism, including the convictions of Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud, Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh, of San Diego, for providing aid to al-Shabab militants in Somalia.
But, on Wednesday, the Court of Appeals said the claims were "inconsistent with the contents of the classified records" and the program had violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The ruling will not affect the 2013 convictions.
“Today’s ruling is a victory for our privacy rights,” the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement. "It makes plain that the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records violated the Constitution.”
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
“I never imagined that I would live to see our courts condemn the NSA’s activities as unlawful and in the same ruling credit me for exposing them,” Mr Snowden said. “And yet that day has arrived,” he added.
I had my doubts as well.
And this from the BBC??? Ironic.
For something to be functionally unlawful, there has to be a prosecutor. That’s the part that doesn’t exist.
It is time for President Trump to pardon Snowden and then award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. What a finger in the eye of the Deep State and the out-of-control intelligence agencies that would be.
As a follow-up the people who set this illegal program up should be prosecuted for treason.
Not so sure this Appeal Court is right, “Metadata” is not “data”.
And Snowden did much worse LOL!
But you kooks have a bbll...
BBC is as leftist as they come.
BBC is crafting narrative that darling Snowden the hero is exposing the dirty low down NSA.
The real story?
War between NSA and CIA.
NSA technology had advanced so far as to render CIA obsolete like Pinkertons before FBI.
NSA was abused by Obama minions.
Admiral Mike Rogers saw how NSA surveillance was abused, data wrongfully accessed.
They tried to fire Admiral Mike but he survived long enough to brief President-Elect Trump.
NSA are good guys bullied and abused by Brennan’s CIA.
Snowden is a Brennan asset.
Watch for more state media influencing to condemn NSA.
Sure the court has ruled, but is anyone really going to stop them from doing it?
When will judges bar Microsoft and send their CEO’s to jail?
When will the corrupt Congress bar Big Tech from installing microphones and cameras in everything? When will it be illegal to REQUIRE you surrender access to your phone and all the information on it in order to use it at all? Fitness trackers, medical devices and all kinds of equipment REQUIRES access to your private information. Even your thermostat is spying on you.
I don’t think our Founders would see it that way.
Don’t care what others think of course.
I tend to blame the providers of communication tech for it’s failures in privacy.
Many blame the government because it’s more profitable IMO.
“the metadata can be used to follow up on the ‘rest of the data’”
Nope. “Metadata” does no such thing.
not a crime to disclose government crimes
Let me know when there are criminal charges. But I won’t hold my breath.
Yep. Snowden exposed an illegal activity by NSA.
Snowden should be welcomed home.
Clapper should be in jail.
For Gods sake don’t hold your breath you will be dead for sure our COMPLETE system has been corrupted there is no longer justice in our system if you are Democrat Obama has weaponized EVERY department of government it can’t be fixed!! The ONLY damn way to fix it is transfer entire departments across the country divide and conquer that is the ONLY WAY!!
Which side was feeding David Ignatius and the Washington Post their 'insider ' information?
I was thinking more immunity from prosecution in return for states witness. He would have to be in protective custody since he would have a big target on his back.
Who infiltrated the NSA?
Who/what regularly leaks to the state media?
CIA —> WAPO
FBI —> NY Times
State Dept—> ??
Hint: Headed by scumbag Zucker.
Interesting...thanks hostage.
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