#NSA mass collection of phone data is legal, federal judge rules
▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/27/judge-rules-nsa-phone-data-collection-legal
US district judge William Pauley said the dragnet program “represents the government’s counter-punch” to al-Qaida in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
In his ruling, the judge said the phone data-collection system could have helped investigators connect the dots before the attacks.
He dismissed the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU did not immediately respond to a message for comment by the Associated Press.