Paul Nakasone, director of the US National Security Agency (NSA), has confirmed that the agency is purchasing personal data from web brokers without a warrant.
In a letter Speaking to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, the agency’s director said the data collected by the NSA “may include information related to electronic devices used outside – and, in certain cases, inside – the United States.”
Senator Wyden, a supporter of internet freedom and the right to privacy, stated that “such data could identify Americans seeking help from a suicide hotline or a hotline for survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence.”
Calls for data regulation at the highest level
Senator Wyden states that using personal information without consent and knowledge is illegal and that the NSA should submit all its collected data on individuals to a database so that the agency adheres to the same standards imposed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on other organizations. Data that does not fall within these standards is then removed from use.
Wyden recently terminated new NSA Director Timothy Haugh as director, prompting the NSA to confirm the purchase of personal data. Wyden has been seeking this confirmation for nearly three years in his fight to ensure that the personal information of American citizens remains private.
Wyden is a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which oversees the activities of U.S. intelligence agencies. The Defense Intelligence Agency also previously confirmed the purchase and use of personal data collected from Americans’ phones in 2021.
The NSA responded to Wyden in an email, explaining that the agency passes individual data through “technical filters” at all stages of the collection process, and that the data they collect is used for national and cybersecurity purposes.
Through Reuters