WASHINGTON
President of the United States, Barack Obama announced on Friday that he will implement privacy measures in a major overhaul of the U.S. inteligence services, the National Security Association (NSA).
Speaking on Friday from the White House Obama announced a number of NSA reforms:
- Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the program that collects telephone records, will be subject to "greater transparency, and constraints on the use of this authority".
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) will provide greater assurances that the court is looking at issues from both perspectives -- security and privacy.
- The State Department will designate a senior officer to coordinate U.S. Diplomacy on issues related to technology and signals intelligence.
- A senior official will be appointed at the White House to implement the new privacy safeguards that Obama announced today.
- The U.S. will centralize and improve the process it uses to handle foreign requests for legal assistance, keeping its high standards for privacy while helping foreign partners fight crime and terrorism.
- The U.S. government will lead a comprehensive review of big data and privacy. This group will consist of government officials who — along with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—will reach out to privacy experts, technologists and business leaders in order to forge international norms on how to manage this data; and how it will continue to promote the free flow of information in ways that are consistent with both privacy and security.
Obama said: "Given the fact of an open investigation, I’m not going to dwell on Mr. Snowden’s actions or motivations. I will say that our nation’s defense depends in part on the fidelity of those entrusted with our nation’s secrets. If any individual who objects to government policy can take it in their own hands to publicly disclose classified information, then we will never be able to keep our people safe, or conduct foreign policy."
He added: "It is hard to overstate the changes our intelligence servıces had to go through after 9\11."
"Moreover, we cannot unilaterally disarm our intelligence agencies. There is a reason why blackberries and I-Phones are not allowed in the White House Situation Room. We know that the intelligence services of other countries – including some who feign surprise over the Snowden disclosures – are constantly probing our government and private sector networks, and accelerating programs to listen to our conversations, intercept our emails, or compromise our systems," he said.
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