The Director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Paul Nakasone, confirmed in a letter to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden that the NSA purchases Americans’ internet browsing information from commercial brokers without obtaining a warrant. The letter, dated December 11, was made public by Senator Wyden.
Wyden called on U.S. intelligence officials to cease using Americans’ personal data without their knowledge and consent, asserting that it was illegal. The NSA defended its actions, stating that the collected information is valuable for national security and cybersecurity missions and is used judiciously. Wyden raised concerns about the potential identification of Americans seeking help from hotlines for issues such as suicide prevention or survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
The NSA stated that it minimizes the collection of U.S. person information at all stages and applies technical filters. Senator Wyden has also called for the intelligence community to compile an inventory of Americans’ personal data held by the NSA and purge any data that does not comply with Federal Trade Commission standards.
