Five unanswered questions about the NSA’s surveillance programs

Leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden have provided new insight into how the government monitors domestic and foreign communications for threats to national security. Although the government has disclosed some additional details about the programs in response to the leaks, important questions remain about the nature and scope of the surveillance programs.

1. What other data is being collected under the Patriot Act?
2. How broad are the programs?
3. What’s the legal rationale?
4. Is the NSA still collecting email records?
5. Are there other programs that we don’t know about?