US releases 1000-page surveillance record by NSA

The United States has released a 1000-page document related to surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency.

The report includes an original court order that authorized a since-discontinued programme for the mass collection of U.S. e-mail records.

According to news24, the documents included a finding by the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that provided the legal basis for the email programme and set limits on how the information could be used.

U.S. officials have been releasing information related to the mass surveillance programmes after leaks by former government contractor Edward Snowden that revealed the mass spying on telephone and email records and prompted widespread public outrage, the report said.

The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said the documents showed the surveillance was 'conducted in a manner that safeguards the constitutional rights of an America'.