Sloppy work by the Business Insider reporter. The Salon article

http://www.salon.com/2013/08/30/the_parody_shirt_the_nsa_doesnt_want_you...

makes it clear with updates that NSA didn't do anything about this T-shirt, Zazzle made a dumb decision about whether a NSA challenge to them in the past about coffee mugs with the NSA logo applied in this humorous T-shirt case:

UPDATE: The NSA has issued the following statement to the Daily Dot:

The NSA seal is protected by Public Law 86-36, which states that it is not permitted for “…any person to use the initials ‘NSA,’ the words ‘National Security Agency’ and the NSA seal without first acquiring written permission from the Director of NSA.”

UPDATE 2: The NSA sent the Daily Dot a clarification about this particular case:

NSA has not sent a cease and desist letter to Zazzle since March 2011 regarding a mug they were selling using the NSA Seal.   At any time that NSA is made aware that the NSA Seal is being used without our permission, we will take appropriate actions.

To be clear: Zazzle was being paranoid that the NSA might not see the political parody involved with the T-shirt and would react the way they did about mugs which weren't political parody. Zazzle chose to be safe rather than sorry. That T-shirt would have been protected by the first amendment, just like Hustler magazine's cartoons of Jerry Falwell. Selling a coffee mug simply emblazoned with the NSA logo without permission is one thing, that T-shirt is quite a different thing.

Don't get me wrong, I understand Zazzle's decision. Why should they take the risk of possibly having to go to court for some sub-vendor that they are making only a few cents off of each sale should NSA be stupid about this? It's not like it's their very own product. Ebay does this too, it will just ban selling stuff that could cause them any headaches, even if the chance is remote and its unfair. You can always make your own T-shirts, you see.