US NSA sued by Wikimedia, rights groups over mass surveillance

SETTING A PRECEDENT: The case is a new potential legal front for privacy advocates who have challenged US spying programmes several times since 2013.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: The US National Security Agency was sued by Wikimedia and other groups challenging one of its mass surveillance programmes that they said violates Americans' privacy and makes individuals worldwide less likely to share sensitive information. 

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland, where the spy agency is based, said the NSA is violating US constitutional protections and the law by tapping into high-capacity cables, switches and routers that move Internet traffic through the United States.