The large-scale collection of telephony metadata by the NSA has hardly noticeable effects in the prevention of terrorist acts, as concluded researchers after the analysis of 225 cases of al-Qaeda affiliated businesses in the US.
The research was compiled by the New America Foundation. The foundation concludes that many of the investigations and research of the secret services to possible terrorist activities started after traditional policing or tipgevers that information gave. Also information from other studies would sometimes sufficient material to yield to an investigation of possible terrorist activities to start. Furthermore, directional taps, where consent is required from the FISA court, information can produce. Only a few files would have collected metadata of phone calls of an American in direct connection with a terrorist organization.
The results largely correspond to the findings of a research team commissioned by president Obama conducted research into the NSA activities. The cause was the unrest among Americans after whistleblower Edward Snowden among other things, a large-scale programme uncovered and the metadata of phone calls of Americans by the NSA is collected. NSA chief Keith Alexander stated previously compared to the Congress that the metadata program, and some of the other controversial NSA programs are more than fifty terrorist plans in twenty countries would have prevented. Later scribbled the NSA back and was the collection program a “policy of insurance against terrorism’.
To Obama, the advice was given to the NSA to prohibit in future the metadata of American telefoniegebruikers itself to save. This would be the providers themselves should do. The American president has yet to make a decision about how the NSA wants to reform. It is expected that Obama, in a speech on Friday 17 January, more disclose about his plans.