'Shameful' NSA mass snoop-ops to remain intact after review

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Some of the US' alleged mass surveillance activities carried out by the National Security Agency, under review by a White-House-sponsored committee are reportedly said to remain intact.

Director of the Open Technology Institute, Sascha Meinrath, said that the review panel he advised is at risk of missing an opportunity to restore confidence in US surveillance practices.

He said that the review group was searching for ways to make the most modest pivot necessary to continue business as usual, the Guardian reports.

The review group is headed by the CIA's former deputy director, Michael Morrell, and is expected to deliver its report to President Barack Obama this week.

Meinrath said that if the review group's report doesn't put a lid on the activities, it would do nothing to alter the lack of trust the global populace has for what the US is doing, and nothing to restore their reputation as an ethical internet steward.

It was earlier speculated that the group's report would recommend that bulk collection of every American's phone call data continue, possibly by the phone companies instead of the NSA, with tighter restrictions than the standard for searching through them that the NSA currently employs.

Meanwhile, Obama had predicted proposing some self-restraint on the NSA and to initiate some reforms that can give people more confidence.

However, with the anticipated report, it appears like the White House is not much interested to tweak the metadata collection activities.