This is why NSA officials keep bringing up 9/11
You’re not hearing things. National Security Agency documents obtained byAl Jazeera show that the agency actively pushes 9/11 and terrorism as justification for its surveillance programs.
Whether the NSA’s numerous programs and vast reach actually stop terrorism is hotly debated. In a congressional hearing Tuesday, NSA directorKeith Alexander defended the agency’s practices, noting that there hasn’t been a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.
But as privacy advocates have noted, that could be misleading. Alexander has drastically reduced the number of recent terrorist attacks directly stopped through NSA intelligence from 54 to one. Glenn Greenwald, the journalist in possession of the majority of contractor Edward Snowden’s intel, has frequently criticized intelligence officials for being eager to invoke terrorism to justify spying.
