--- title: Jimmy Carter: NSA Reads My Email description: Former President Carter says the National Security Agency has abused its authority and recommends snail mail as a method of communication canonical: https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-23T18:18:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:47:56.639Z article:section: Politics og:title: Jimmy Carter: NSA Reads My Email og:description: Former President Carter says the National Security Agency has abused its authority and recommends snail mail as a method of communication og:url: https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95a140435d602912/698686d655a8598190a7fddf/jimmy-carter.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1280 og:image:height: 720 og:image:alt: Jimmy Carter Meets With NY Mayor Bloomberg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jimmy Carter: NSA Reads My Email twitter:description: Former President Carter says the National Security Agency has abused its authority and recommends snail mail as a method of communication twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95a140435d602912/698686d655a8598190a7fddf/jimmy-carter.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # VIDEO: Jimmy Carter Believes NSA Is Reading His Emails > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b4c9cf59-86c4-44f8-8bd5-50bc222fcb05&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b4c9cf59-86c4-44f8-8bd5-50bc222fcb05&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=b4c9cf59-86c4-44f8-8bd5-50bc222fcb05&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b4c9cf59-86c4-44f8-8bd5-50bc222fcb05&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Carter's Method For Avoiding NSA Spying: Snail Mail [Watch (HLS stream): Carter's Method For Avoiding NSA Spying: Snail Mail](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/J1v8nw90.m3u8) (0:42)  _Published 2014-03-23. The former president says the National Security Agency has abused its powers._ by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Mar 23, 2014 6:18 PM UTC by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Mar 23, 2014 6:18 PM UTC Former President Jimmy Carter told NBC’s _Meet the Press_ on Sunday that he has his own system to avoiding being monitored by the National Security Agency, which is under scrutiny following leaks from its former contractor Edward Snowden: “When I want to communicate with a foreign leader privately, I would type or write the letter myself, put it in the post office and mail it.” He added that the spy agency had abused its authority. ## Transcript Jimmy Carter tells NBC's, Meet the Press, he has his own fool proof method for avoiding NSA monitoring. When I want to communicate with a foreign leader privately, I type or write the letter myself, put in the Post Office and mail it. Old fashioned snail mail. Yeah. During a sit down with Andrea Mitchell, the former Democratic President said, the U. S. spying agency had abused its powers. That's quite a different tone than the one from President Obama, that such operations were not perfect. Keep Americans safe. Just in the past week, documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed the NSA can actually keep a record of every call made from a certain country for up to a month. But hey, for all you critics, there's always the Carter method. I'm Zack Toombs. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/"},"headline":"VIDEO: Jimmy Carter Believes NSA Is Reading His Emails","datePublished":"2014-03-23T18:18:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T08:47:56.639Z","description":"The former President tells NBC's \"Meet the Press\" he now communicates with foreign leaders by snail mail","url":"https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/","keywords":["Surveillance","NSA","Jimmy Carter"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95a140435d602912/698686d655a8598190a7fddf/jimmy-carter.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95a140435d602912/698686d655a8598190a7fddf/jimmy-carter.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jimmy Carter Meets With NY Mayor Bloomberg","caption":"Jimmy Carter Meets With NY Mayor Bloomberg","creditText":"Mario Tama—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/surveillance/","name":"Surveillance"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/","name":"VIDEO: Jimmy Carter Believes NSA Is Reading His Emails"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Carter's Method For Avoiding NSA Spying: Snail Mail","description":"The former president says the National Security Agency has abused its powers.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/J1v8nw90/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-03-23T17:17:11.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/J1v8nw90.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/","duration":"PT42S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/34848/video-jimmy-carter-believes-nsa-is-reading-his-e-mails/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```