The director of the United States National Security Agency (NSA), Paul Nakasone, has confirmed that the agency purchases personal data from web intermediaries without a court order.
In a letter to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, the agency's director stated that data collected by the NSA “may include information associated with electronic devices that are used outside and, in certain cases, within the United States.”
Senator Wyden, an advocate for Internet freedom and the right to privacy, said that “such registries can identify Americans who seek help from a hotline for suicide or for survivors of sexual assault or domestic abuse.”
Call for data regulation at the highest level
Senator Wyden maintains that the use of personal information without consent and knowledge is illegal and that the NSA should send all data collected on individuals to a database, so that the agency adheres to the same standards imposed by the Federal Commission on Commerce (FTC). about other organizations. Data that does not meet these standards will be removed from use.
Wyden recently blocked incoming NSA Director Timothy Haugh from serving as director, leading the NSA to confirm the purchase of personal data. Wyden had been seeking this confirmation for almost three years in his battle to ensure that the personal data of American citizens remains personal.
Wyden is a ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee that oversees the activities of US intelligence agencies. The Defense Intelligence Agency also previously confirmed its purchase and use of personal data collected from Americans' phones in 2021.
The NSA responded to Wyden in an email explaining that the agency passes individual data through “technical filters” at all stages of the collection process, and that the data they collect is used for national and cybersecurity purposes.
Through Reuters
