Obama administration: Surveillance policies under review

Lisa Monaco | USA TODAY

Over the past few months, a series of unauthorized disclosures of classified information have led to criticisms of our intelligence activities. These disclosures have created significant challenges in our relationships with some of our closest foreign partners.

To be clear: Our intelligence capabilities, and the dedication of the men and women who work in the U.S. intelligence community, including at the NSA, are beyond compare. Their contributions and sacrifices are a significant reason we have enjoyed relative security since 9/11.

No one disputes the need for careful, thorough intelligence gathering. Nor is it a secret that we collect information about what is happening around the world to help protect our citizens, our allies and our homeland. So does every intelligence service in the world.

While our capabilities are unmatched, the U.S. government is not operating unrestrained. We are not listening to every phone call or reading every e-mail. Far from it. There are legal limits to what the NSA can and cannot do, and the recent disclosures and additional documents the government has declassified prove just how seriously the NSA takes these limits.

All three branches of government play a role in overseeing our intelligence activities. And though we collect the same sort of intelligence as all nations, our intelligence community has more restrictions and oversight than in any other country in history.

Today's world is highly interconnected, and the flow of large amounts of data is unprecedented. That's why the president has directed us to review our surveillance capabilities, including with respect to our foreign partners. We want to ensure we are collecting information because we need it and not just because we can.

We've also created the President's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology to provide recommendations on these issues, and the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board is reviewing our counterterrorism efforts to ensure that privacy and civil liberties are appropriately protected as well.

Going forward, we will continue to gather the information we need to keep ourselves and our allies safe, while giving even greater focus to ensuring that we are balancing our security needs with the privacy concerns all people share.

Lisa Monaco is assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism.