The Justice Department has revealed that the FBI made more than 24,000 national security letter requests last year for information on 14,212 people.
The numbers, listed in a summary to Congress, are double the figures for 2009,
The Washington Post reported.
In 2009 there were more than 14,000 requests for information concerning 6,114 people. The letters used in terrorism and espionage investigations allow the FBI to collect a host of information on citizens, including financial and phone records, without court oversight, the Post reported.
The FBI has previously been criticized for its handling of the letters. The Justice Department’s inspector general uncovered violations of the system used to issue the letters in 2007. The IG found the letters were being used in non-emergency situations and demands being made without proper authorization.
The Post reported that the FBI has since tightened oversight.
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