NSA spies on Americans

The super secretive National Security Agency, by law, is allowed to collect electronic surveillance of foreigners overseas. But the New York Times reports that it has intercepted private email messages and phone calls of Americans, and suggests the intelligence agency went beyond the broad legal limits established by Congress.

During the Bush administration, Congress expanded the authority of the NSA to collect large amounts of international phone and email traffic as it passed through American telecommunications gateways. The targets had to be "reasonably believed" to be outside the United States. But the newspaper said the NSA has been engaged in "over collection" of domestic communications of Americans in a "significant and systemic" way.

The Department of Justice said that there had been problems with the NSA surveillance operation, but added they had been resolved. Will the NSA ever learn to stop breaking the law?

For more on NSA eavesdropping:
- see this New York Times article