U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder approved guidelines on Thursday that would allow counterterrorism officials to keep data on uncharged U.S. citizens for up to five years if they are suspected of being terrorists. The previous limit had been 180 days. The new guidelines have reportedly been in the works for over a year, officials said. But civil liberties groups have criticized the new guidelines, saying they are similar to the “Total Information Awareness” program proposed—and quickly shut down—by the Bush administration. But intelligence officials said they could always get the information, this just makes access easier.
