A new poll by the Washington Post and ABC News confirms findings from other media surveys that show a majority of Americans support the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.
After attending classified meetings and a top secret briefing through the Appropriations Committee, U.S. Senator John Boozman of Arkansas says he’s pleased with recent public relations efforts by intelligence agencies.
In an interview with KUAR News, Boozman says citizens need to know some of the reasons for the NSA’s collection of phone records and specific online data to thwart acts of terrorism.
“I think the concern I have is it appears that the [domestic surveillance] programs seem to have overstepped their boundaries... when you are essentially taking everybody’s phone numbers and then storing that data for extended periods of time – years," Boozman said. "What we got to do is make sure that we’re safe without giving up the freedoms we cherish.”
Boozman admits he would like to see a more targeted effort by the NSA to curb terrorism, rather than the mass collection of personal digital data from American citizens.