Obama Panel Recommends an End to NSA Bulk Data Storage

President Barack Obama released the results of an independent panel's assessment of National Security Agency's controversial surveillance practices on Wednesday.

The "Liberty and Security in a Changing World" report, which surpassed 300 pages, contains 46 recommendations for updating the agency's practices to achieve a balance between maintaining national security and upholding citizens' right to privacy. The report focuses on increasing oversight more than curtailing surveillance tactics.

First among the panel's recommendations is to amend section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows the government to collect citizens' phone records from third parties. It also recommended that the government end its bulk storage of telephone metadata "as soon as reasonably possible." Read more...