human
I've been hearing a lot about the NSA's collection of phone records. What is it and how does it work?
assistant
The National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting phone records since the 1970s. It’s part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The NSA collects information from telephone companies, such as Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, who are required to keep records of all calls made in the US. These records include the numbers called, when the call was made, and the duration of the call.