NSA Report Intelligence Collection - On Wednesday, the National Security Agency (NSA) released reports that detailed intelligence collection, which may have suggested an intentional misuse of US overseas communications. Based on the latest data, the intelligence collection practices showed several US policy violation for over a decade.

In response to the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the NSA released a series of quarterly and yearly reports, which showed an in-depth intelligence collection practices, to the President's Intelligence Oversight Board. The accounts covered the period from the fourth quarter of 2001 to the second quarter of 2013.

At past 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the well-edited reports that detailed intelligence collection practices were posted on NSA's Web site. According to Bloomberg, the data suggested violations that include unauthorized surveillance of America's overseas communications.

The documents contained examples of violations including sending data on Americans to unauthorized recipients, storing said data on unprotected computers and retaining them after they were meant to be destroyed, the International Business Times reported.

"In general, each NSA report contains similar categories of information, including an overview of recent oversight activities..." the security agency said on its Web site. "Signals intelligence activities affecting certain protected categories; and descriptions of specific incidents which may have been unlawful or contrary to applicable policies."

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the NSA instigated an intensified communications surveillance. However, Policy Mic reported that the data were disclosed in classified documents leaked by fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden last year and wreaked a global chaos.

Meanwhile, Congress has considered to pass new legislation to restrict the NSA's intelligence collection of bulk calling and other electronic reports. However, it was never enacted or legislated. Under post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism laws, legislators created the 5-member Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, but the program only provided minimal help in preventing terrorism.

ACLU, the agency that filed a lawsuit to access the reports that detailed intelligence collection practices, said the documents elucidated how NSA's surveillance policies and misused of information affect Americans.

"The government conducts sweeping surveillance under this authority - surveillance that increasingly puts Americans' data in the hands of the NSA," ACLU's National Security Project staff attorney Patrick C. Toomey stated. "Despite that fact, this spying is conducted almost entirely in secret and without legislative or judicial oversight."

NSA responded that it has multi-layered protections in place to guarantee that no further errors occur in intelligence-gathering collection and retention, as has been recently reported.

"The vast majority of compliance incidents involve unintentional technical or human error," NSA stated. "In the very few cases that involve the intentional misuse of a signals intelligence system, a thorough investigation is completed."

In line with the reports on intelligence collection practices, NSA emphasized that the agency "goes to great lengths to ensure compliance with the Constitution, laws and regulations."