the government collects the telephone records of millions of law-abiding Americans 'fundamentally shifts the balance of power between the state and its citizens.' The board goes on to say that with the government's 'powers of compulsion and criminal prosecution,' collection of data on its own citizens 'poses unique threats to privacy,' and is expected to have a 'chilling effect on the free exercise of speech and association.'" Asked by Pat Mächler to what extent the report will have an impact, Edward Snowden stated: I don't see how Congress could ignore it, as it makes it clear there is no reason at all to maintain the 215 program. Let me quote from the official report: "Cessation of the program would eliminate the privacy and civil liberties concerns associated with bulk collection without unduly hampering the government's efforts, while ensuring that any governmental requests for telephone calling records are tailored to the needs of specific investigations." See also Mass surveillance in the United States References External links Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Report on the Telephone Records Program Conducted under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT and on the Operations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court 2014 in the United States Global surveillance Reports of the United States government