FISA rules in favour of NSA resuming bulk collection of data

'We agree with the Court's conclusion that the programme is lawful,' adds Department of Justice, to no one's surprise

The NSA can resume the bulk collection of American's communications data, the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) has ruled.

US intelligence bodies including the NSA lost their mass surveillance powers last month after the Senate failed to reach a deal to extend legislation on data collection on the expiration of the Patriot Act.

A new law called the Freedom Act was signed on 1 June to replace the Patriot Act. This placed some restrictions on the bulk collection of data. But now FISA has ruled in favour of the continued mass collection of communications data of US citizens for at least another six months. Data collected includes numbers people have dialled and the duration of the call.

The US Department of Justice has welcomed the decision to temporarily allow for the continued bulk collection of citizens' data.

"We agree with the Court's conclusion that the programme is lawful, and that in passing the USA Freedom Act, Congress provided for a 180-day transition period for the government to continue the existing collection programme until the new mechanism of obtaining call detail records is implemented," Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Judge Michael W. Mosman of the surveillance court rejected a previous court decision that ruled NSA bulk collection to be illegal.

"Second Circuit rulings are not binding on the FISC and this court respectfully disagrees with that court's analysis, especially in view of the intervening enactment of the USA Freedom Act," he wrote

The extent of NSA mass surveillance of both US and foreign citizens was first revealed by whistleblower and former government contractor Edward Snowden in 2013.

Snowden has continued to criticise government surveillance policies and recently accused the British government of trying to limit its own citizens' civil liberties by secretly passing legislation that allows GCHQ to "hack anybody's computer".