Washington: President Obama called Friday for ending the National Security Agency’s ability to store phone data from millions of Americans, and asked Congress, the Justice Department and the intelligence community to help decide who should hold these records.
The president also said civil libertarians have raised legitimate worries about the potential for abuse, and that he is seeking to balance the demands of national security and with the needs of personal privacy. Some NSA critics said the president’s plans don’t go far enough, and are riddled with loopholes that intelligence and law enforcement agencies can exploit.
A special committee appointed by Obama last year has recommended that telephone metadata by held by a third party, or the phone companies themselves. But some phone providers have balked at the latter idea.
Some of the new rules apply to spying on any foreign citizen, Obama said. All countries should know that “the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don’t threaten our national security,” and “we take their privacy concerns into account, Obama said.
The address was the latest phase in a months-long review of NSA policies, spurred by news leaks from former contractor Edward Snowden about the scope, reach and possible abuses of spying programs.
Obama made two references to Snowden. He said at one point, “I’m not going to dwell on Mr. Snowden’s actions or motivations,” but added that “our nation’s defense depends in part on the fidelity of those entrusted with our nation’s secrets.
His new plans should give the American people greater confidence that their rights are being protected, even as our intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain the tools they need to keep us safe,” Obama said. Obama repeatedly defended the NSA, saying that surveillance programs are essential tools in preventing terrorist attacks and that employees consistently follow the rules.
Laboring in obscurity, often unable to discuss their work even with family and friends, they know that if another 9/11 or massive cyber-attack occurs, they will be asked, by Congress and the media, why they failed to connect the dots, Obama said. The surveillance programs are also the subjects of multiple lawsuits, and the security-privacy issue could wind up before the Supreme Court.
Bureau Report
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