NSA Spying Declared Legal by Board Appointed by Obama

A controversial spying program managed by the National Security Agency is legal, according to a board appointed by President Obama.
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board gave their approval to nearly all domestic surveillance and data collections programs they reviewed.
Widespread data collection from Americans by the Federal government was first revealed in 2013 by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
Federal law allows the collection of data from foreigners in other nations when that information crosses the United States. This provision includes the PRISM program, which collects data from social media giants like Facebook, Google and Apple.
The five members of the privacy board recommended internal changes in the NSA to prevent abuse of information collected. The panel included two former Justice Department officials, a pair of privacy experts and a federal judge. They stated some of the programs undertaken by the administration are “close to the line
of constitutional reasonableness. Such aspects include the unknown and potentially large scope of the incidental collection of U.S. persons’ communications.” (1)
Section 702 is part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. White House lawyers questioned the legality of some programs after George W. Bush expanded domestic spying in the wake of 9-11. Congress legalized the actions in 2008. Barack Obama, then
a senator, voted in favor of the bill. Surveillance of non-Americans living aboard is permitted under the provision, without
a search warrant. Agencies are also collecting phone numbers and email addresses of those sending and receiving messages. Searches for communications of Americans in the database are generating a fury on Capitol Hill. The U.S. House recently voted to
forbid the practice.
Use of Section 702 is largely kept classified. There is no public record of how the powers are used, or in which cases. Law enforcement agencies will not reveal is they are using the law to investigate other crimes, not related to terrorism.