While the order itself does not include either the contents of messages or the personal information of the subscriber of any particular cell number, its collection would allow the NSA to build easily a comprehensive picture of who any individual contacted, how and when, and possibly from where, retrospectively. A 2005 court ruling judged that cell site location data – the nearest cell tower a phone was connected to – was also transactional data, and so could potentially fall under the scope of the order. The document also specifies that such 'metadata' is not limited to the aforementioned items. The information is classed as 'metadata', or transactional information, rather than communications, and so does not require individual warrants to access. It specifies that the records to be produced include 'session identifying information', such as 'originating and terminating number', the duration of each call, telephone calling card numbers, trunk identifiers, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number, and 'comprehensive communication routing information'. The order directs Verizon to 'continue production on an ongoing daily basis thereafter for the duration of this order'.

The order, signed by Judge Roger Vinson, compels Verizon to produce to the NSA electronic copies of 'all call detail records or 'telephony metadata' created by Verizon for communications between the United States and abroad' or 'wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls'. 'We decline comment,' said Ed McFadden, a Washington-based Verizon spokesman. The court order expressly bars Verizon from disclosing to the public either the existence of the FBI's request for its customers' records, or the court order itself. The agencies were also offered the opportunity to raise specific security concerns regarding the publication of the court order. The Guardian approached the National Security Agency, the White House and the Department of Justice for comment in advance of publication on Wednesday. Fisa court orders typically direct the production of records pertaining to a specific named target who is suspected of being an agent of a terrorist group or foreign state, or a finite set of individually named targets. The unlimited nature of the records being handed over to the NSA is extremely unusual. Under the Bush administration, officials in security agencies had disclosed to reporters the large-scale collection of call records data by the NSA, but this is the first time significant and top-secret documents have revealed the continuation of the practice on a massive scale under President Obama.

The disclosure is likely to reignite longstanding debates in the US over the proper extent of the government's domestic spying powers. The contents of the conversation itself are not covered. Under the terms of the blanket order, the numbers of both parties on a call are handed over, as is location data, call duration, unique identifiers, and the time and duration of all calls. The secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Fisa) granted the order to the FBI on April 25, giving the government unlimited authority to obtain the data for a specified three-month period ending on July 19. The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing.

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