New NSA Spy Center Will Target Every Email and Phone Call

Looks like Congress can't stop the NSA from monitoring every nook and cranny of our lives after all. In an explosive feature in Wired, James Bamford reveals that the National Security Agency has revived a program called "Total Information Awareness," which aims to collect and sift through every electronic communication around the world. Yep, that includes those made by Americans—even though Congress passed legislation in 2003 to stop "TIA" from spying on US citizens.

Three covert sources tell Bamford that the NSA's proposed information center in Utah will use a network of satellites to break any encryption, monitor every email, and eavesdrop on any phone call—even land-line calls. “We are, like, that far from a turnkey totalitarian state,” a source tells Bamford. Other recent NSA news may have led up to this: A whistleblower accused of leaking classified information to a reporter eventually pleaded guilty last year in a misdemeanor plea deal. Hat tip to RawStory for the link. (More NSA stories.)