Off the Grid: Court Rules NSA Can't Record Your Calls

Spying on American citizens' phone conversations is illegal...

A New York federal court has ruled that the NSA's bulk collection of American phone records is illegal. The ruling comes just as Section 215 of the Patriot Act reaches is expiration date in June. If you need a reminder, section 215 allows the NSA and FBI to keep the phone records of millions of innocent people. The court's 97-page ruling holds that Section 215 cannot be legitimately interpreted to allow for the collection of domestic call records.

This decision hardly means Americans are in the clear. The government could still appeal the ruling to either the full appeals court or Supreme Court, but it's a step in the right direction.

Mic.Com reports that,

"The massive program collects roughly 200 million text messages every day. It can decrypt private phone calls, collect data from online gaming and even track credit card information. New York's ruling only specifically applies to collecting data from telephone conversations, but given the momentous nature of the court's ruling, it's very possible other suits could soon follow in an effort to ride the momentum and dismantle more of the Big Brother-reminiscent program."

Here is the full decision if you want to read it:

If you want to know more about the FBI's efforts to spy on American citizens, check out this video below.

-By Brigida Santos, The Off the Grid Team

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