Carriers Keeping US Spy Records Seen as Costly, Risky

Requiring AT&T, T-Mobile US and other telecommunications companies to retain bulk phone records for US spy programs is costly and risks exposing customer data to hackers, industry and privacy groups said.

A White House advisory committee on National Security Agency spy programs recommends that US carriers, instead of the NSA, hold phone records of millions of citizens, said an Administration official familiar with the panel’s report. The report says the NSA should be able to have access to the phone data, which includes numbers dialed and call durations. It attempts to address criticism of the program, in which the NSA collects metadata under court orders, by requiring companies to collect and retain the records. “I expect our members would oppose the imposition of data retention obligations that would require them to maintain customer data for longer than necessary,” said Jot Carpenter, vice president of government affairs for CTIA-The Wireless Association.