NSA sued by Wikimedia, rights groups over mass surveillance

The U.S. National Security Agency was sued on Tuesday by an array of groups challenging one of its mass surveillance programs that they said violates Americans' privacy and threatens communications worldwide by dissidents living under oppressive regimes. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland, where the spy agency is based, said the NSA is violating U.S. constitutional protections and the law by tapping into high-capacity cables, switches and routers that move Internet traffic through the United States. The lawsuit is a new potential legal front for privacy advocates who have brought multiple challenges to U.S. spying programs since 2013, when documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the long reach of U.S. surveillance. The plaintiffs include the Wikimedia Foundation, the conservative Rutherford Institute and other organizations.

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