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) is a US government agency that collects signals intelligence, or SIGINT, which includes information from electronic communications such as telephone calls, emails, and text messages. It does so by tapping into fiber optic cables and other communication networks. The NSA’s primary goal is to collect foreign intelligence, but it also has domestic surveillance responsibilities.