The order by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has been in place for years but must be renewed every three months. The Obama administration maintains Congress shouldn’t be surprised by the programs. The NSA surveillance programs were exposed in the month of June, by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Privacy groups have sued the government over the programs, claiming violations of the law and the Constitution. President Barack Obama says the government is not listening in on calls, and Intelligence officials say they have helped disrupt dozens of terrorist attacks.
Source: https://thehackernews.com/2013/07/FISA-Court-renews-NSA-surveillance.html