Director of National Intelligence Declassifies Communications Metadata Documents

"In the interest of increased transparency"

Just ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today to discuss the FISA surveillance program with key officials from the NSA, FBI, DNI & DoJ, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper declassified and released several telephone metadata collection documents.

The bulk telephone data collection process and transparency of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which approves the orders, became one of several topics of debate after information disclosed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden. One of the classified documents released by the former NSA contractor included a secondary FISC order for the phone metadata records of a Verizon subsidiary.  Today's release apparently includes the full court order.