The under-the-radar system, known as Data Analytical Services or 'Hemisphere', has been in operation for over a decade.
www.dailymail.co.uk
The under-the-radar system, known as Data Analytical Services or 'Hemisphere,' has been in operation for over a decade. It allows federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to tap into the phone records of U.S. citizens who have not been accused of any
crime.
Under the Hemisphere program the
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) pays phone service provider AT&T to hand over phone records as far back as 1987.
The AT&T database contains the location, time, phone number and other metadata from every phone call that crosses the AT&T relay switches - an estimated 4 billion calls a day.
Since 2007, federal agents have been able to access the trove of information in minutes - simply by issuing a subpoena themselves.