Is U.S.’ Collection of Phone, Data Records a Concern?

Big Brother may or may not be watching you, but he’s probably got a good bit of data on you.

The Guardian reported Wednesday that through the use of a secret court order, the National Security Agency was collecting the phone records of millions of American customers of Verizon. The order, the newspaper reported, requires the company to hand over information about all phone calls within the United States and coming from the U.S. That information includes phone numbers, location information and call duration but not the contents of conversations.

Further reporting Thursday revealed that the U.S. government was delving into more than just the records of one telecommunications company. According to the Associated Press, former NSA employees revealed that the agency has been obtaining similar records for years from all major American phone companies.

Another NSA program has been going after other forms of electronic data. The Washington Post reports that the agency as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation are operating a program called PRISM to tap into the computer servers of several internet companies in order to extract emails, audio, video and other forms of data.

Are you concerned about the government’s reach into phone and electronic data records, or do you think it’s necessary to ensure national security?