Government privacy watchdog calls NSA's phone snoop-ops 'illegal'

A federal privacy watchdog has reportedly called the National Security Agency's alleged phone surveillance programmes as 'illegal'.

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent privacy group, said that the alleged programmes provided 'minimal' benefits in counter-terrorism operations.

According to The Verge, the board's findings run counter to US President Barack Obama's, who said last week that although the program would 'end as it currently exists,' its capabilities should be maintained.

However, the watchdog stated in its report that it was not able to identify 'a single instance involving a threat to the US in which the telephone records program made a concrete difference in the outcome of a counter-terrorism investigation or aided to the discovery or disruption of a terrorist attack.'

Their report also indicated that the mass collection of snoop-data raised serious threats to privacy and civil liberties as a policy matter, and the programme has shown only limited value.

The revelations made by whistleblower Edward Snowden have sparked global debate about the extent of indiscriminate government snooping on citizens, what US Judge Richard Leon called almost 'Orwellian', and pushed for changes to be brought in the way the intelligence agencies collect data.