The NSA says it has in place “minimization procedures” in cases where data of US residents are “incidentally intercepted.” But some in Congress are calling for more scrutiny of intelligence programs by both Congress and the courts. Sen. Ron Wyden (D) of Oregon is leading a growing call for public hearings into surveillance programs. Others want to beef up day-to-day oversight of them.
Embarrassed Internet companies are calling for more transparency, too. Gag orders currently prevent them from describing what they give the government. Google has requested the right to report the numbers and scope of the national security data requests it receives. Likewise, Facebook says it wants to “include information about the size and scope of national security requests we receive.” Microsoft issued a similar statement as did Yahoo!
