This is the furthest President Obama has gestured in the direction of reining in the expansive surveillance apparatus that has swelled since 9-11. Characteristically for Obama, it's extremely cautious and – crucially – does not stop any of the controversial bulk surveillance programs that brought him to this point. "I haven't evolved in my assessment of the programs," he said.

Obama's stated reforms could either be monumental or miniscule. It's too early to tell, since Obama committed himself to nothing. He said he would re-examine reining in the bulk surveillance on Americans' phone records without suspicion of wrongdoing; and was open to installing a privacy advocate on the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which currently has the government as its only petitioner.

Both of those steps would be major. If Obama actually takes them. He has yet to announce them.

Obama's other reforms, such as greater transparency, also require greater specificity before they can be evaluated. Transparency is valuable in programs so secret. Whether they will be sufficient to serve as bulwarks against abuse also remains to be seen.

What doesn't inspire confidence is Obama's announcement of a new website to "inform" Americans about the bulk surveillance and "make the American people more comfortable." Senators Wyden and Udall have caught major misleading statements about NSA powers in previous website factsheets.