calling them and work their way back through this web of information. but you know, advocates in the united states and around the world are going to be extremely concerned about this thinking it's another chip away into personal privacy in this cyberage. >> u.s. is not meant to monitor americans but if you're overseas, you're fair game, they're picking up -- vacuuming up all of this traffic, right? >> reporter: yeah, that's certainly part of the problem. the nsa is not under law allowed

the nsa is not under law allowed to collect information on americans, but in this, you know, again, in the cyberconnected world, overseas and nsa freely admitted that there are times when they perhaps inadvertently, incidentally collect information on americans, not supposed to happen. as we talk about, you go on into the internet, click a few times, a commercial provider is recording the record of those transactions as well. we're getting into that age where concept of privacy's

well, by all accounts, if you're an american, you're out of the country on business or may vation, you pick up your cell phone, use it, that call that record of that call, not the conversation itself, is most likely to be recorded by the nsa. why are they doing this? they're trying to establish a huge database of connections. they have terror suspects they want to go after, look at that, they look at who might be calling them and work their way back through this web of

>> forget about it. >> if you're overseas, you're make ago phone call, there's no protection? going to track it? >> they can. >> they're doing it, but can you fight back? >> well, that's a really good question. i don't know. i suppose you can call the nsa and object but you're not going to get very far. >> i want to go on the do not call list. >> reporter: i don't mean to dismiss the question, it's hugely valid, if you're trying to call home, trying to call your office, we at cnn around

>>> new details about how the national security agency gathers nearly 5 billion cell phone records around the world every day. those records are put into a huge database that contract the movements of individuals, map their relationships, how they're connected work they're calling were creates a web of information. >> bringing in our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, on this story because, barbara, you hear about all of this, the cell phone locations and who they're trying to trace, is it

your office, we at cnn around the world who knows how many cell phone calls we make around the globe to our sources and we don't expect that to be tracked by the government. and i think many citizens in other countries don't expect the nsa to be tracking their calls either. >> yes. exactly. talk about americans offended but what about overseas fair game? barbara starr. your phone -- you can track the phone sitting there you don't have to be on it. >> true. not a privacy. >> forget about it. there is no privacy. >>> a truck stolen in mexico with radioactive waste.