Family Of Slain Navy Cryptologist Sues NSA, Verizon For Massive Snooping Operation

Bob Brewin | Nextgov | June 11, 2013

The family of a Navy cryptologist killed on Aug.  6, 2011 while supporting a Navy SEAL operation in Afghanistan has filed the first class action lawsuit over the National Security Agency’s sweeping collection of telephone call metadata. The suit seeks $12 billion in damages.

Michael Strange was killed west of Kabul in a Chinook helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of another 29 American personnel, including 17 SEALS, and eight Afghan troops.

As a Navy cryptologist technician, Strange provided the SEALS with the same kind of network analysis skills used by NSA at its Ft. Meade, Md., headquarters, according to a job description provided by John Donaldson, a spokesman for the Naval Network Warfare Command.