The National Security Agency has come under fire for their mass collection of phone data -- of course using our "smartphones" to access the data, as well as social media and other spying methods -- and now, President Barack Obama is calling upon the NSA to end these practices once and for all, but to only make "metadata" available to the government when needed. 

According to The New York Times, if Obama's proposed overhaul of the NSA -- whose whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, brought all of this information collection to the forefront; a revelation which shocked privacy advocates the world over and which led to an outcry of people demanding that the system be overhauled -- is approved by Congress, the systematic monitoring and collection of phone records will be stopped once and for all. 

The only way the data will be collected, or retained, by the NSA after the proposed overhaul is through a court order -- and through a judicial process which will be public, rather than "secretive."

Furthermore, according to Reuters, the government would have to obtain clearance from Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to collect and analyze data that they believe would be indicative of a pending terrorist attack. 

"The President considered those options and in the coming days, after concluding ongoing consultations with Congress, including the Intelligence and Judiciary committees, will put forward a sound approach to ensuring the government no longer collects or holds this data," a White House official said to Reuters in a statement about the proposed plan.

The National Security Agency (NSA) is responsible for the production and management of signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance for the United States government. Originating as a unit to decipher code communications in World War I, it was officially formed as the NSA by President Truman in 1952. Since then, it has become one of the largest of U.S. intelligence organizations in terms of personnel and budget, operating under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense and reporting to the Director of National Intelligence.