Updated my comment to reflect that, thanks. A good example of the distinction is the raw audio of a domestic phone call in the US. First it's intercepted in bu

Updated my comment to reflect that, thanks. A good example of the distinction is the raw audio of a domestic phone call in the US. First it's intercepted in bulk, then automatically sent to DSP hardware for transcription into a searchable text log. That wouldn't qualify as "collection" as the NSA defines it until a human analyst actually listened to or laid eyes upon the data. Automated analysis programs looking for keywords or specific patterns of behavior within the data probably require legal authorization as well. However, it's unclear if the legal authorizations such programs operate under are broad in nature, or issued individually in a more explicit manner.