US ends bulk collection of phone data programme

The US National Security Agency (NSA) has ended its controversial programme of bulk collection of telephone data, exposed by former employee turned whistle-blower Edward Snowden, the media reported on Monday.

The NSA surveillance ended after a new law, the USA Freedom Act, enacted by President Barack Obama was passed in June and entered into effect on Sunday, EFE news reported.

According to the law, the government will no longer be able to collect this information, and will have to ask companies in case of security concerns.

The reform amends certain sections of the USA Patriot Act that was passed after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

A secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has been supervising the NSA programme since 2006 and experts said they only accessed phone data in order to hunt for suspects in anti-terrorism investigations.

In 2013, Snowden leaked information to the media on the NSA surveillance programmes, responsible for collecting millions of phone users' data.

The scandal became even greater when it was revealed that several foreign leaders may also have been victims of the US spying.