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NSA: White House task force recommends surveillance curbs NSA: White House task force recommends surveillance curbs
(35 minutes later)
The US National Security Agency should not retain its vast database of phone records, a review convened by President Barack Obama has recommended. A White House panel has recommended significant limits on the National Security Agency's sweeping electronic surveillance programmes.
Phone companies or a third party should hold the data instead of America's electronic surveillance agency, the five-person panel said. Among its 46 recommendations, the five-member panel said the NSA should cease storing vast amounts of data on calls processed by US phone companies.
Details of the snooping programme were leaked by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, now a fugitive in Russia.Details of the snooping programme were leaked by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, now a fugitive in Russia.
The review comes after a federal judge found the programme unconstitutional.The review comes after a federal judge found the programme unconstitutional.
President Barack Obama met the five-member Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology earlier on Wednesday.President Barack Obama met the five-member Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology earlier on Wednesday.
The outside panel's report includes 46 recommendations about the US surveillance network. Among the panel's recommendations were restrictions on the ability of the secret intelligence court to compel telephone companies and others to disclose information to the US government, and measures ensuring intelligence was only gathered for national security aims, not to obtain trade secrets or to target non-US persons based on their religious or political views.
"In a free society, public officials should never engage in surveillance in order to punish their political enemies," the panel wrote.
"We recommend concrete steps to promote transparency and accountability, and thus to promote public trust, which is essential in this domain."
Other recommendations include:
It is unclear how many of the panel's suggestions, which intelligence officials are likely to oppose vigorously, will be accepted by the Obama administration.
Former NSA director Michael Hayden told the BBC the report's recommendations would complicate the task of intelligence collection.
"Making this more public will shave points off operational effectiveness," he said about the NSA programmes. "But... my personal formula in this is if we don't do that it won't matter because the American people won't let us do it in the first place."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the review, which was originally to be published in January, was being released now because of "inaccurate" media reports about its contents.White House spokesman Jay Carney said the review, which was originally to be published in January, was being released now because of "inaccurate" media reports about its contents.
In a statement, the White House said Mr Obama had discussed the thinking beyond the recommendations with the panel and "noted that the group's report represented a consensus view, particularly significant given the broad scope of the members' expertise in counterterrorism, intelligence, oversight, privacy and civil liberties". In a statement, the White House said Mr Obama told the group that "the United States use its intelligence collection capabilities in a way that optimally protects our national security while supporting our foreign policy, respecting privacy and civil liberties, maintaining the public trust, and reducing the risk of unauthorized disclosure".
Mr Obama told the group that "the United States use its intelligence collection capabilities in a way that optimally protects our national security while supporting our foreign policy, respecting privacy and civil liberties, maintaining the public trust, and reducing the risk of unauthorized disclosure".
The five-person panel was comprised of Richard Clarke, a former White House counter-terrorism advisor; Michael Morell, the former deputy director of the CIA; University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone; former White House technical adviser Cass Sunstein; and Peter Swire, an expert in privacy law.The five-person panel was comprised of Richard Clarke, a former White House counter-terrorism advisor; Michael Morell, the former deputy director of the CIA; University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone; former White House technical adviser Cass Sunstein; and Peter Swire, an expert in privacy law.
It is unclear how many of the panel's suggestions, which intelligence officials are likely to oppose vigorously, will be accepted by the Obama administration.
On Monday, a federal court in Washington DC found the NSA's mass collection of Americans' phone call information was unconstitutional, in a case expected to reach the US Supreme Court.On Monday, a federal court in Washington DC found the NSA's mass collection of Americans' phone call information was unconstitutional, in a case expected to reach the US Supreme Court.
Judge Richard Leon called the surveillance programme "indiscriminate" and an "almost Orwellian technology that enables the government to store and analyze the phone metadata of every telephone user in the United States".Judge Richard Leon called the surveillance programme "indiscriminate" and an "almost Orwellian technology that enables the government to store and analyze the phone metadata of every telephone user in the United States".
And on Tuesday, executives from several large US tech firms met Mr Obama at the White House, reportedly pressing the US president to curb the electronic surveillance programmes.And on Tuesday, executives from several large US tech firms met Mr Obama at the White House, reportedly pressing the US president to curb the electronic surveillance programmes.
They demanded more transparency about the programmes, and told the president the programmes were hurting their reputations and the broader US economy by discouraging foreign companies from investing in US technology.They demanded more transparency about the programmes, and told the president the programmes were hurting their reputations and the broader US economy by discouraging foreign companies from investing in US technology.