The National Security Agency recommends that the White House end a surveillance program that gathers data on U.S. phone calls and text messages to detect and disrupt any terrorist plot against the country, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Sources said the recommendation stems from concerns that the program’s intelligence benefits have been outweighed by legal compliance and logistical issues. The legal authority of the phone records program, which was established after the 9/11 attacks, is set to expire in December.
The program works to collect metadata such as numbers and time stamps of a domestic call to identify any possible links to terrorist suspects. Sources added the White House hasn’t made a decision whether to advance a measure to reauthorize the phone-surveillance effort.
