Snowflake of FISA Warrants and Verizon Billing Records Highlight NSA/FBI Data Collection Practices

Snowflake of FISA Warrants and Verizon Billing Records Highlight NSA/FBI Data Collection Practices The passage restates well‑documented Snowden disclosures about a 2013 FISA warrant (Judge Roger Vinson) compelling Verizon to hand over billing records to the FBI, and the subsequent use of those records by the NSA under PRISM. While it offers concrete dates, names, and agencies, the information is already public and has been extensively reported, limiting its investigative novelty and actionable value. Key insights: Judge Roger Vinson issued a FISA warrant on April 25 2013 ordering Verizon to provide three months of landline billing records to the FBI.; The FBI passed the warrant to the NSA, which collected the data under the PRISM program authorized by Section 702 of the FISA.; The USA Freedom Act shifted bulk storage of telecom records from the NSA to phone companies, but FISA‑based searches remained possible.