The National Security Agency’s surveillance methods have suffered a significant legal setback after a federal judge ruled on Monday that a programme that collects bulk phone records was likely to be unconstitutional.
In an often scathing ruling about the activities of the NSA, the court said the programme to collect the phone records of most Americans was based on “almost-Orwellian technology” and presented a clear breach of the Fourth Amendment protection against “unlawful search and seizure”.
Richard Leon, a judge with the district court for the District of Columbia, also said the government had failed to demonstrate that the collection of phone records was an important tool for preventing terrorist plots.