Obama Said to Keep NSA in Charge of Phone Records for Now
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President Barack Obama’s plan to keep phone data with the National Security Agency for now is a victory for telecommunications companies, which resisted the idea of holding the records themselves over concerns about lawsuits, lost business and unwanted responsibility.
A White House advisory panel recommended last year that the phone metadata should be held by companies such as Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Inc. or some other private entity. Obama instead will ask Congress to decide the matter when he releases his proposal to limit NSA surveillance programs tomorrow, according to a person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity before the announcement.