Rep. Schiff Statement on FISA Court Approval of Limits on NSA Telephone Metadata Program

Statement

Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a senior Member of the Intelligence Committee, released the following statement after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court approved President Obama's request to require National Security Agency (NSA) officials obtain a court order first and limit the number of "hops":

"The announcement that the FISA Court has agreed to a motion to modify the telephone metadata program is an important step on the road to reform, and consistent with the outline the President set out in his January 17th speech. By requiring a court order for each search and by limiting the number of hops allowed, the privacy of Americans will be better protected.

"Congress must act quickly to further restructure the program as the President's review group and the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) have recommended. This can best be accomplished by ending bulk collection and having the phone companies hold their own data to be searched based upon a judicial finding. Such a system would provide the same basic capabilities as bulk collection, while being far more protective of our privacy. I have introduced legislation to make this change a reality and hope that the Congress and Administration can move forward without delay."

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