Senate Will Probe NSA in Wiretapping 'Overcollection'

The Senate Intelligence Committee is planning an inquiry into the National Security Agency after reports the spy group has been engaged in “overcollection” of information domestically, the New York Times reports. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the committee, said a hearing would be held within the month. The Justice Department says the problem has been fixed.

A Justice statement said it had “detected issues that raised concerns” and “took comprehensive steps to correct the situation and bring the program into compliance” with the law. The NSA procedures seemed to be at odds with a July revamping of its mandate. Insiders said problems distinguishing international communications—the agency’s purview—from domestic ones led the agency to unwittingly access purely domestic information. (More Dianne Feinstein stories.)