According to a US District Court ruling, the US National Security Agency (NSA) cannot delete data collected through surveillance programs, as it could be used in trials.
The court has already ruled that the security service is prohibited from deleting any relevant information in the near future that could serve as evidence in legal cases. However, it has now issued a restraining order, underlining that ruling.
“The issuance of a temporary restraining order is necessary to allow the court to decide whether the data should be retained for further analysis,” the court said.
“The defendants, their officers, agents and attorneys, as well as anyone else associated with the case are prohibited from destroying any relevant evidence, including telephone metadata or recordings containing details of telephone calls, until further notice.”
Furthermore, last Friday a court ruled under the FISA Act that the US Department of Justice cannot retain the data indefinitely.
According to The Verge, Judge Reggie Walton noted that retaining the data for more than five years would further violate the privacy of citizens whose telephone conversations are being kept by the American agency.
