White House attacks plans to curb NSA data collection

The White House is urging Congress to reject an attempt to stop the National Security Agency (NSA) collecting Americans’ phone records.

With a key vote coming up, President Barack Obama’s spokesman said curbs on the NSA would “hastily dismantle” a vital counter-terrorism tool.

NSA chief Gen Keith Alexander spent Tuesday lobbying Congressmen to vote against the proposed measure.

Critics say NSA phone data collection is an unwarranted invasion of privacy.

The details of the programme were made public by Edward Snowden, who had worked for the NSA and is now a fugitive, awaiting a decision on his asylum application in Moscow.

‘Blunt approach’

House of Representatives Republican Congressman Justin Amash has introduced an amendment to a defence spending bill, which would block funding for the NSA’s programme to collect details of every call made by or to a US phone.

Mr Amash said: “My amendment blocks funding of NSA’s collection of personal data if that data does not pertain to a person under investigation.”

A vote on the amendment will take place on Wednesday.

Even if it passes the House, the measure is seen as unlikely to become law, as Mr Obama’s Democratic Party controls the Senate.

House Democrats John Conyers and Jared Polis supported the move, which they said “makes sure that innocent Americans’ information isn’t needlessly swept up into a government database”.

However, the White House said the measure would deprive the intelligence agencies of a key tool in preventing terror attacks.

“This blunt approach is not the product of an informed, open or deliberative process,” said spokesman Jay Carney.

“We urge the House to reject the Amash amendment, and instead move forward with an approach that appropriately takes into account the need for a reasoned review of what tools can best secure the nation.”

 

BBC has the full article

(Photo: Wikipedia)

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