The US National Security Agency (NSA) has been handed a defeat in appeals court. A three-judge panel in the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled that the NSA phone records collection "exceeds the scope of what Congress has authorized" in Section 215 of the Patriot Act. However, the denial of a motion filed by the American Civil Liberties Union to suspend data collection by the NSA has been upheld, so data collection will continue for the time being.
