[paranoidrobot]

This doesn't mean that there's not widespread abuse of secret warrants/NSLs.

It could easily mean that they've developed a formula to ensure that they meet* the standards set by the FISA court.

Maybe every single one of them has some kind of magic phrasing that's technically true, but kinda bullshit if you're able to view it from a wider viewpoint. Maybe all it takes is to say that this person has a connection to known terrorists. The connection could be incredibly distant, but hey - there's a sworn statement from some analyst/agent/whomever saying that there's a connection.

Because the courts are secret, there's no opportunity for those outside the intelligence community to review things and see whether there are routine abuses or other questionable situations.