Saturday, July 23, 2022

CIA spies on Americans through "Incidental Collection"

 


The CIA cannot legally conduct domestic spying, but often broad streams of internet and telephone data are scooped up when Americans communicate with someone who lives overseas and who is a target of surveillance- it’s called “incidental collection.”

     The conflict between personal privacy rights and national security arises whenever the topic of domestic surveillance is brought up, but one may think of it as the CIA/NSA spying FOR Americans, not ON Americans. A terrorist cell was uncovered, in Columbus, Ohio, that was planning an attack in America's heartland at a crowded shopping mall, due to a CIA intercept of one of its member's cellphone calls to an overseas source.
In my spy thriller series, NSA and CIA intercepts of terrorist communiques are often woven into the plot.

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community. He authors the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE.


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