The NSA must disclose more to make its case

[Commentary] The bulk collection of phone “metadata” by the National Security Agency (NSA) -- records of who’s calling whom, when and for how long -- is a potentially powerful tool that could, if abused, reveal sensitive facts about nearly every American’s life. The practice, disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, demands extensive checks to guard against misuse. The government has said its oversight process is already strong. To varying degrees, a federal judge and a task force appointed by President Obama now have disagreed. The NSA’s activities will continue to be litigated in court and in the court of public opinion. If the government is to emerge from Snowden’s revelations with the authorities that officials insist are crucial, it will have to do more to demonstrate why they are essential and how Americans’ privacy is being protected.