Report: NSA passes on secret wiretap info

Report: NSA passes on secret wiretap info: "Report: NSA passes on secret wiretap info

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Information gathered by the National Security Agency in its secret wiretapping program has been passed on to other agencies, The Washington Post reported.

The newspaper cited information from three current and former senior administration officials, who said the Defense Intelligence Agency and other departments cross-check information from the NSA against other databases.

One official told the Post that, while the NSA only follows up on information that shows ties to terrorist groups or activities, the other agencies set their own policies on how information is used. The DIA, for example, sometimes engages in physical surveillance.

'NSA can make either type of information available to other agencies where relevant, but with appropriate masking of its origin,' the official said.

Congress limited intelligence agencies' ability to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens in the 1970s after revelations of widespread monitoring of peace groups, civil rights organizations and others engaged in legal political activity."