WASHINGTON – The US Director of National Intelligence released three declassified documents on Wednesday that authorized the bulk collection of telephone data, one of the surveillance programs revealed by former security contractor Edward Snowden. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement the declassification was made in the “interest of increased transparency.” The documents that were declassified include the 2009 and 2011 reports on the National Security Agency's “Bulk Collection Program” under the USA PATRIOT Act. In addition it released an April, 2013 order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court which described how the data should be stored and accessed. The documents provide little solace, however, to Americans hoping to understand the legal analysis that underpinned the widespread surveillance. One particular type of analysis, called “hop analysis” is hinted at but never fully discussed. That allows to the government to search the phone records of not only suspected terrorists, but everyone who called them, everyone who called those people, and others who called them, as well. With that authority, the government can search the records of millions of people in an investigation of one person. The Washington Post reported late Tuesday that senior US officials said one of the orders the administration plans to declassify was issued by the FISA court in April and directed Verizon Communications to turn over a large number of phone records. – Agencies
