Obama sets plans to improve privacy in NSA surveillance

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Obama sets plans to improve privacy in NSA surveillance President Obama announced a series of moves on Friday to improve privacy protections within National Security Agency surveillance programs and better explain to the public how they operate

Goals%3A To clarify NSA%27s authority%2C improve oversight%2C tighten restrictions on information use.

Obama aims to work with Congress on Patriot Act reforms.

More NSA documents will be declassified to improve transparency%2C Obama says.

Saying the nation deserves a "vigorous public debate guided by our Constitution," President Obama outlined plans Friday to improve privacy protections within National Security Agency surveillance programs and to better explain to the public how the NSA operates.

"It's not enough for me as president to have confidence in these programs," Obama told reporters at the White House. "The American people need to have confidence in them as well."

While defending the programs in general -- it's "an important tool in our effort to disrupt terrorist plots" -- Obama said he also understands concerns about possible abuses of privacy.

Opening a news conference with a prepared statement, Obama outlined "specific steps that we're going to be taking very shortly to move the debate forward."

They include:

-- New talks with Congress to revise Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which governs NSA collections of telephone data. The goal would be to clarify the legal authority of the NSA, improve oversight of its actions and tighten restrictions on the use of information obtained by the Agency, all with the aim of improving public confidence in the programs.

-- Appointment of a civil liberties and privacy advocate to argue cases and challenge the government's position before the court that oversees the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The advocate position is designed to push back on government applications for warrants on telephone and/or Internet communications.

Obama said he has confidence in the special court, but there is legitimate worry that it "only hears one side of the story." A new "independent voice, in appropriate cases," can insure that "the government's position is challenged by an adversary," he said.

-- Declassification of more NSA and FISA court documents to improve transparency. The Justice Department released a report on the legal rationale for NSA operations, while the NSA itself issued a statement detailing its authorities, how it collects information and what its restrictions are. Obama described these actions as something of a down payment on future transparency efforts, with the Justice Department and Director of National Intelligence working on disclosure reforms.

-- Appointment of a new high-level group of outside experts "to review our entire intelligence and communications technologies," Obama said. "We need new thinking for a new era."

The advisory group will release an interim report within 60 days and a full report by the end of the year, he said.

Obama said he welcomes the debate over NSA surveillance programs and that he is seeking the right balance between national security and privacy concerns.

He and aides have had a series of meetings in recent weeks with lawmakers, privacy advocates, counter-terrorism officials and other stakeholders in the NSA controversy. Many of those proposals came from those meetings.

"We have to strike the right balance between protecting our security and preserving our freedoms," Obama said.

The president said he has long supported review of surveillance programs, but news leaks about NSA operations by Edward Snowden and others have launched the debate "in a very passionate, but not always fully informed way."

Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said much of the concern "can be attributed to the president's reluctance to sufficiently explain and defend" the NSA programs.

"Transparency is important, but we expect the White House to insist that no reform will compromise the operational integrity of the program," Buck said. "Our priority should continue to be saving American lives, not saving face."

As Obama outlined proposed reforms to the NSA surveillance programs, the administration also re-asserted its legal defense for the most controversial operation, the bulk collection of Americans' telephone records.

In a 22-page "administration white paper'' issued by the Justice Department Friday, the telephone collection program was described as "important to the government'' and that its operation was "carefully limited'' to identify potential terrorists.

Although the document re-stated that contents of telephone calls are not collected, it also described a progressive or "hop'' analysis used to track potential terror suspects.

Under orders by the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, analysts can obtain information about the suspect by reviewing call records of those who have been in direct contact with suspect and the numbers of those who have been in indirect contact.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson