Spy Program Gathered Americans’ Internet Records

Newly leaked documents show that the Obama administration gathered American citizens' Internet data until 2011, continuing a spying program started under President George W. Bush.

The records show who they exchanged emails with and the Internet Protocol address of their computer. That's the specific numeric address assigned to a computer connected to the Internet.

A spokesman for the director of national intelligence confirms the new report in The Guardian newspaper. Shawn Turner says the National Security Agency program was stopped for "operational and resource reasons" after a review, and has not restarted.

The newspaper says some collection continues.

The collection appears similar to the gathering of U.S. phone records, and seems to overlap with the Prism surveillance program of foreigners on U.S. Internet servers.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)