BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff - March 23, 2012 1:55 pm

The Obama administration on Thursday approved new counterterrorism guidelines giving federal officials broader surveillance powers over U.S. citizens.

The updated guidelines allow the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to keep collected data on U.S. citizens and residents—even if they have no known connection to terrorism—for up to five years.

Previous rules mandated that such information be destroyed, usually after 180 days.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on the guidelines, along with NCTC director Matthew Olsen and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

“The approval of these guidelines will significantly improve NCTC’s ability to carry out its statutory mission,” Clapper said in a statement. “Our citizens expect that we do everything in our power to keep them safe, while protecting privacy and other civil liberties.”

Obama Admin Increases Surveillance Powers Over U.S. Citizens | Washington Free Beacon