Court rules that the NSA cannot store phone data for more than five years

A U.S. secret surveillance court has denied a bid by the U.S. government to hold onto phone records for more than five years, handing a rare win for civil liberties and privacy advocates. But because the motion was denied “without prejudice,” the Justice Dept. is allowed to file a new motion should new evidence or facts come to light. The U.S. government submitted a request in February to store the data, collected under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, for longer than five years.