Reaction to Obama's NSA speech ranges from lukewarm to skeptical
As experts and advocates wade through the details of President Obama鈥檚 big speech on the National Security Agency, reviews are decidedly mixed. There鈥檚 something for everybody to like 鈥� and to dislike, it seems.
Matt Sledge at the left-leaning Huffington Post writes, 鈥淔or Snowden, whose supporters have always maintained that he is a whistleblower motivated by the Constitution's higher ideals, the speech and the changes it telegraphs will likely come as a major vindication.鈥� Edward Snowden, of course, is the National Security Agency (NSA) contractor/leaker now avoiding US prosecution in Russia.
Among other things, Obama said he would end the NSA鈥檚 bulk collection of telephone metadata 鈥� numbers called, length of calls, etc. 鈥� which has included information on millions of Americans. He also wants to limit the spying on foreign leaders and increase the authority of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
Obama may have given Snowden short shrift in his speech, but the young fugitive is the main 鈥� perhaps the only 鈥� reason Obama outlined his intended reforms Friday.
Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, which bills itself as 鈥渁 watchdog in defense of civil liberties,听human rights and constitutional听limits on government power,鈥� finds much to like in Obama鈥檚 speech.
鈥淲e are very pleased that the President decided to institute changes on his own and not wait for congressional action,鈥� Ms. Martin said in a statement. 鈥淭hese changes represent a significant victory for civil liberties and privacy. They mirror the changes that many of us in the community have been calling for.鈥�
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, is skeptical 鈥� especially regarding continued NSA snooping on citizens overseas.
鈥淢ost of the protections Obama announced today apply only to how and when the NSA and others can look at the data,鈥� says Mr. Roth. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the guarantee that US snooping on those communications will be limited to real national security concerns? It鈥檚 not clear from Obama鈥檚 speech.鈥�
鈥淚 doubt people in Germany or Brazil or even the US are going to be satisfied with some new hard-to-assess checks on how US intelligence uses information but no change in the fact that the US is collecting information on hundreds of millions of people in the first place,鈥� Roth adds in a statement.
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), which calls itself 鈥渢he leading Internet freedom organization working at the critical edge of policy innovation,鈥� sees faults in Obama鈥檚 declarations regarding the NSA as well.
鈥淲e certainly welcome judicial review of metadata queries, the support for more transparency about surveillance, a voice for civil liberties at the FISA Court proceedings, and greater consideration of the rights of people outside the United States,鈥� says Greg Nojeim, Director of CDT鈥檚 Project on Freedom, Security and Surveillance.
But, he adds, 鈥淭he lack of specifics in the听President鈥檚 remarks听and in the听directive听he issued today means that this is only the beginning of a much-needed conversation, not the end.鈥�
鈥淎t any rate,鈥� says Mr. Nojeim, 鈥渢hese proposed changes do not fully address the fundamental problem of bulk collection of personal metadata and fail to adequately protect the rights of people around the world.鈥�
Google,听Microsoft, Facebook,听Twitter,听AOL,听LinkedIn, and听Yahoo 鈥� together they recently became the 鈥淕lobal Government Surveillance Reform鈥� coalition 鈥� have a special interest in retaining consumer trust and confidence in the wake of Snowden鈥檚 revelations about US spying as it pertains to email, Internet use, and social media.
鈥淭he commitments outlined by President Obama represent positive progress on key issues including transparency from the government and in what companies will be allowed to disclose, extending privacy protections to non-US citizens, and FISA court reform,鈥� they said in a joint statement after the president鈥檚 speech.
But, they added, 鈥淐rucial details remain to be addressed on these issues, and additional steps are needed on other important issues, so we鈥檒l continue to work with the administration and Congress to keep the momentum going and advocate for reforms consistent with the principles we outlined in December.鈥�
Meanwhile, foreign governments and their leaders 鈥� some of whose phones were tapped by US intelligence services 鈥� were paying close attention as well.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 expect him to go into great detail in a speech like this,鈥� said Claude Moraes, a British Labor member of the European Parliament who鈥檚 leading the investigation into the NSA leaks, reports Politico.com. 鈥淭he concern is that while it鈥檚 very good on rhetoric, will it end with any real change for non-U.S. actors?鈥�
This wait-and-see attitude was virtually universal.
鈥淲e particularly welcome the willingness of President Obama to extend safeguards currently available to US citizens as regards data collection for national security purposes to non US-citizens,鈥� 听European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen said in a statement. 鈥淲e will now explore the full implications of this commitment.鈥�
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