Federal Judge Overturns Rule, Opens Door For NSA To Keep Years of Phone Data

Reversing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruling, a federal court has decided the NSA may keep phone records relating to pending lawsuits longer than the legally-allowed five years. The Surveillance Court had found the government’s argument that it needed to retain the records “unpersuasive,” but a San Francisco federal judge ruled that the phone records could not be destroyed. The Justice Department is seeking clarification from the Surveillance Court as to how to proceed with the two conflicting rulings.