US Security Agency Collected 151Mln Phone Calls Data in 2016

Director of the US National Intelligence Daniel Coats said that National Security Agency collected data about over 151 million US citizens' phone calls in 2016 despite the legislation limiting the agency's collection of phone call details.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States' National Security Agency (NSA) collected data about over 151 million US citizens' phone calls in 2016 despite the legislation limiting the agency's collection of phone call details, Director of the US National Intelligence Daniel Coats said in a report.

However, according to the report, the NSA had orders to collect data on only 42 suspects.

The document, published late on Tuesday, specified that the NSA collected through telecommunications services providers such phone calls data as originating and terminating telephone numbers, International Mobile Subscriber Identity numbers, telephone calling card numbers and calls duration.

Since the major terror attack in the United States on September 11, 2001, the NSA has been collecting data about the US citizens phone calls. However, the Freedom Act of 2015 stipulated that the US government should only gather the contacts and phone records of those people who were considered by the authorities as having links to terrorist organizations.

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