US spy chief Clapper defends Prism and phone surveillance

[Peter Lemkin]

NSA Chief: All Phone Records Should Be in Searchable "Lockbox"


[Yeah, YOUR BOX..&..YOUR KEY!::]



Top U.S. intelligence officials appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday to defend the National Security Agency's sweeping collection of domestic phone logs. The NSA's director, General Keith Alexander, dodged questions from Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon about whether the NSA had used cell phone signals to collect data on the location of U.S. citizens. General Alexander also faced questions from Democratic Senator Mark Udall of Colorado.

Sen. Mark Udall: "Is it the goal of the NSA to collect the phone records of all Americans? You talk about building a haystack, you want the haystack to be the ultimate size."

General Keith Alexander: "I believe it is in the nation's best interest to put all the phone records into a lockbox that we can search when the nation needs to do it, yes. And the way we do it, and the way we comply would ensure better security for this nation."
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Senators Udall and Wyden are backing a bill that would ban the NSA's massive collection of phone records. Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia are drafting a rival bill that would preserve the NSA program.