On Wednesday, Britain’s national newspaper The Guardian published a secret court order that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) sent to phone company Verizon in April. The court order demanded that Verizon hand over millions of their customers’ phone records for a three-month period that began on April 25 and is set to end July 19.
The find has reignited public debate on the domestic government’s right to spy on U.S. citizens. In response to public outrage, the Obama administration defended the court order, arguing that the collection of phone records was necessary for their counter-terrorism operations.
While the court order doesn’t include the content of phone calls, it does ask Verizon for other telling information found in customers’ phone records. Call location, recipient, duration, and time are some of the details Verizon needs to divulge, though it remains unclear as to whether the order applies to Verizon’s wireless or residential customers.
The revelation has given way to accusations that the Obama administration is being “beyond Orwellian” in its actions. Expect more government statements to follow as the President and the NSA try to defend their actions.