U.S. Privacy Watchdog: NSA Bulk Phone Records Collection Is Illegal

An independent government privacy watchdog has declared that the NSA bulk phone metadata program, used to collect the phone records of virtually all Americans, is illegal and should end, as it has had "minimal" impact on terrorism investigations.

These findings, included in a 238-page report by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), are yet another blow to perhaps the most controversial NSA program revealed by top secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden. The report is scheduled for release on Thursday, but it was leaked to the New York Times and The Washington Post