US plans reports on secret court orders to telecom providers

The U.S. intelligence community has pledged to disclose more data about government surveillance programs by reporting annually how many secret court orders are issued to telecommunications companies under certain legal rules, according to a media report. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has announced a plan to release the total number of legal orders issued every 12 months to telecom companies by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and the number of targets affected by those orders. The court orders, under authority granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and National Security letters, allow collection of information about subscribers and call records, both for past communications and ongoing wiretaps. But only the aggregate annual numbers of these court orders will be made public. The move is part of President Barack Obama’s response to criticism about a lack of transparency in government surveillance programs following leaks by former agency contractor Edward Snowden.