In the months following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the National Security Agency inundated the FBI with thousands of tips and leads gained by the alleged illegal eavesdropping program.The New York Times reports that FBI agents doing many of the checks into those leads, often requiring interviews, felt they were pointless invasions of privacy. The FBI director at the time, Robert S. Mueller III, also questioned the legal rationale for a program that eavesdropped on Americans without warrants.However, President Bush described the program as a “vital tool” against terrorism and Vice President Dick Cheney said that the program has saved “thousands of lives.”According to The Times, the program results had a different feel as they tracked terrorism in the United States. They often said that the sheer number of tips that led to dead ends was a distraction from counterterrorism work that could have been more productive and provided few potential terrorists that they did not already know about. Read more. By Paul Kerstein Related content news UK government plans 2,500 new tech recruits by 2025 with focus on cybersecurity New apprenticeships and talent programmes will support recruitment for in-demand roles such as cybersecurity technologists and software developers By Michael Hill Sep 29, 2023 4 mins Education Industry Education Industry Education Industry news UK data regulator orders end to spreadsheet FOI requests after serious data breaches The Information Commissioner’s Office says alternative approaches should be used to publish freedom of information data to mitigate risks to personal information By Michael Hill Sep 29, 2023 3 mins Government Cybercrime Data and Information Security feature Cybersecurity startups to watch for in 2023 These startups are jumping in where most established security vendors have yet to go. By CSO Staff Sep 29, 2023 19 mins CSO and CISO Security news analysis Companies are already feeling the pressure from upcoming US SEC cyber rules New Securities and Exchange Commission cyber incident reporting rules don't kick in until December, but experts say they highlight the need for greater collaboration between CISOs and the C-suite By Cynthia Brumfield Sep 28, 2023 6 mins Regulation Data Breach Financial Services Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe