While the program did help bust crooks, there's a concern about the distinct lack of accountability. Besides the lack of judicial controls, the leaks revealed that the DEA's Special Operations Division went so far as to "recreate" trails of evidence to hide that some info originated from call records. Moreover, it shared that information with agencies ranging from the FBI to the Department of Homeland Security. The Justice Department says that the database is gone. However, its existence has prompted worries among privacy advocates that the government thinks (or at least, thought) that it's acceptable to extend its already controversial bulk surveillance gathering to everyday criminal cases, not just terrorism.

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