President Obama announced last week that he wants to eliminate the NSA database that collects everyone’s telephone records. Instead, the burden will be on phone companies to retain that data, and the government will need a court order for specific information about a call or phone number it believes is associated with terrorism.
Why did the President, who had supported the NSA’s metadata gathering, change his mind? What impact will it have? Has the government ever claimed that the database was used to thwart a terrorist plot? Shouldn’t Obama be thanking Edward Snowden for revealing the NSA’s mass spying apparatus to the public? Do phone companies keep track of every call if you have an unlimited calling plan?
Those are the questions I put to Jacob Sullum, senior editor at Reason magazine, on my America Weekend show. Listen to our conversation here.
Previously on Harris Online…
- I talk with the ACLU’s Patrick Toomey about DNI James Clapper’s admission that the NSA should have disclosed some details about how it has been collecting telephone records for millions of Americans for years (2/23/14).
- I talk with Dan Gillmor about restraining the NSA, but not enough (1/18/14).
- I talk with EFF’s Trevor Timm about tech companies fighting back against NSA surveillance (12/15/13).
- I talk with Bruce Schneier about how to protect yourself against the NSA (9/9/13).