Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

DOJ IG Report on FBI Access to NSA Surveillance Data

U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation access to overseas surveillance collected by sister organization the National Security Agency has expanded in recent years, with the law enforcement agency gaining access to collected but unprocessed data in 2009, according to a report released by the government. The FBI’s access to email and other data collected from overseas targets in the NSA’s Prism program has been growing since 2008, according to a 2012 U.S. Department of Justice inspector general’s report declassified last Friday by the DOJ. The agency made the highly redacted inspector general’s report public in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the New York Times. In 2008, the FBI began reviewing email accounts targeted by the NSA through the Prism program, according to the report and a New York Times story. Then, in October 2009, the FBI requested that information collected under the Prism program be “dual routed” to both the NSA and the FBI so that the FBI “could retain this data for analysis and dissemination in intelligence reports,” according to the IG’s report. And in April 2012, the FBI began nominating email addresses and phone numbers that the NSA should target in it surveillance program, according to the document. The IG’s report, however, concluded that the FBI took a responsible approach toward the surveillance program. The FBI’s Prism team “implemented its targeting procedures with commendable deliberation, thoroughness and professionalism,” the report said.”

Sorry, comments are closed for this post.