The NSA's secrets have been leaking like a faucet since June. Now, after months of consideration, U.S. President Barack Obama is going to do something about it.
Obama plans to deliver a speech on government surveillance on Friday at 11 a.m. ET in which he will allegedly overhaul the NSA's metadata program. (We will live stream the speech on Mashable.)
See also: NSA Surveillance News: Everything You Need to Know
Reuters reported:
Obama will say he has decided that the government should not hold the bulk telephone metadata, a decision that could frustrate some intelligence officials. In addition, he will order that effectively immediately, "we will take steps to modify the program so that a judicial finding is required before we query the database," said the senior official, who revealed details of the speech on condition of anonymity.
The conversation around NSA surveillance has grown increasingly heated since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden first began leaking stolen NSA documents last June.
The controversy escalated in December when a federal judge called the NSA's bulk collection and storage of telephone metadata "almost Orwellian" and said that the program likely violates the U.S. Constitution. Weeks later, another federal judge ruled that the program does not break any laws.
The very same week as the metadata program was ruled "probably unconstitutional," an independent panel appointed by Obama appointed to review NSA practices produced a 300-page report, detailing 46 recommended changes to the agency's practices. Most notably, the panel said the NSA should stop collecting and storing metadata and instead allow third parties, like telecoms companies, to hold the data, which the NSA could then access via a court order.
Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Obama will not fully comply with his panel's main recommendation, quoting "people briefed on his thinking."
Mr. Obama plans to increase limits on access to bulk telephone data, call for privacy safeguards for foreigners and propose the creation of a public advocate to represent privacy concerns at a secret intelligence court. But he will not endorse leaving bulk data in the custody of telecommunications firms, nor will he require court permission for all so-called national security letters seeking business records.
Another anonymous source told Bloomberg that Obama plans to leave that decision to Congress.
President Barack Obama will leave bulk telephone records with the National Security Agency for now and will ask Congress to decide whether the data should instead be held by telecommunications companies or transferred to a third party, a person familiar with the matter said.
The Associated Press also reported that Obama will let Congress decide, further speculating that no decisions will come anytime soon since Congress and the judicial branch both seem divided on the issue.
President Barack Obama's blueprint for overhauling the government's sweeping surveillance program is just the starting point. The reality is few changes could happen quickly without unlikely agreements from a divided Congress and federal judges.
The most contentious debate probably will be over the future of the National Security Agency's bulk collection of telephone records from millions of Americans. In his highly anticipated speech on Friday, Obama is expected to back the idea of changing the program. But he'll leave the specifics to Congress, according to U.S. officials briefed on the White House review.
Obama is also expected to approve the majority of his panel's 46 recommendations during his speech on Friday, including taking measures to prevent future leaks, according to sources familiar with the administration’s plan.
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