Ever since the massive NSA programs to mine the metadata of virtually every American citizen were uncovered this past June, a number of congressional hearings have been held to determine whether or not these programs have actually been effective. 

Though General Keith Alexander, the director of the NSA, testified in June that the NSA’s surveillance programs have stopped dozens of potential terrorist attacks, a study by the New America Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit group has determined that the vast majority of the phone records collected by the NSA since September 11, 2001, have, “had no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism.”

The study, which was released this morning, reaches the same conclusions as a White House appointed review group which said in December that the NSA counterterrorism program, “was not essential to preventing attacks” and that much of the evidence it did uncover “could readily have been obtained in a timely manner using conventional orders.”

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Some still defend the programs, including former CIA director Michael Morell, who was a member of the White House review group. Morell notes that the programs “need to be successful only once to be invaluable.” 

So far, however, it seems as though the program has not been successful at all. The single incidence where the metadata program can be given credit for contributing directly to the apprehension of a suspect was when the NSA shared the phone number of a San Diego cabdriver with the FBI. 

The man, Dasaaly Moalin, was later convicted of sending money to a terrorist group in Somalia after the Bureau tapped his phone.

Moalin never posed any direct threat to the United States, nor did any of his three co-conspirators. 

Less than a year has passed since Edward Snowden first laid bare the secret NSA metadata programs, and already the fallout has been immense. 

Though any long term changes have yet to be made, it is not inconceivable that as more and more information becomes public and congress gets more time to evaluate the programs in question, some reductions in the breadth of the NSA’s powers might take place. 

Read the full story at The Washington Post.

Reach Executive Producer Christopher Coppock here.