Court to NSA: Phone Spying Illegal, but Keep Doing It

The NSA’s telephone data collection program is illegal according to a Federal Appeals Court, but the ruling does not require the government to shut it down.

a federal appeals court said the controversial program exceeds what Congress has allowed and urged lawmakers to step in.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan permitted the National Security Agency program to continue temporarily as it exists, and all but pleaded for Congress to better define where the boundaries exist.

The program in question collects “meta-data” from American’s private phone conversations. The program will sunset on June 1st, but many in Congress are pushing for a straight-up renewal of the Patriot Act that would include this data collection program.

While many privacy activists hail the court decision, ultimately, nothing happened. The case will likely have to proceed to the Supreme Court before the program is stopped.

Until then – the NSA is listening.