One of the most interesting news stories in 2013 was from the U.S. government contractors who said the National Security Agency (NSA) is monitoring citizen communications. These reports have aroused the indignation of the American public over the methods of the country’s intelligence services and have led to worldwide debates as to whether national security should come at the price of privacy.
Fort Meade, UNITED STATES: The logo of the National Security Agency (NSA) hangs at the Threat Operations Center inside the NSA in the Washington suburb of Fort Meade, Maryland, 25 January 2006. US President George W. Bush delivered a speech behind closed doors and met with employees in advance of Senate hearings on the much-criticized domestic surveillance. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Nearly five years after the NSA is prepared to renew its authorization to continue running its unauthorized Internet surveillance program, little change is needed, thanks to a bill passed recently by the U.S. Senate. Now that the National Security Council can perform this task only after U.S. President Trump has signed it, he can choose to formulate or veto it.
Within six months, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate missed the first chance to curb NSA’s oversight authority. The House of Representatives voted earlier to dismiss an amendment that requires intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency to obtain a warrant of authorization before collecting data on citizens.
In a tweet a few days ago, Trump quoted FISA as one way to allow his campaign to be peeped – something that could cause people to believe he would not support the bill.
Even if his allegations were made without supporting evidence, this may still be considered as a lack of confidence in the bill. However, his follow-up tweets indicate that his opinion may be exactly the opposite:
