Datagate — Obama Presents the NSA Reform, but He Is Not Changing the US Surveillance System

http://watchingamerica.com/News/231395/datagate-obama-presents-the-nsa-reform-but-he-is-not-changing-the-us-surveillance-system/

Datagate — Obama Presents the NSA Reform, but He Is Not Changing the US Surveillance System
Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italy
By Roberto Festa
Translated By Teresa Sorbera
17 January 2014
Edited by Brent Landon


The American president announced that the “current form” of the interception program “is finished.”* He did not mention, however, the surveillance of email, which was one of the most serious breaches of privacy over the past few years

“The National Security Agency's interception program as we know it is finished.”* Barack Obama announced this during a long-awaited speech which was publicized by the White House and delivered from the podium of the Department of Justice. Obama spoke for just under one hour, covering specific details concerning the reform as well as making reference to enduring historical events. His goal was to appease international controversy and Americans’ disapproval of the complex and intrusive surveillance policies of the NSA, the government intelligence agency involved in the Datagate scandal.

In the end, the president proposed some reforms — more judicial control over the operations carried out by intelligence agencies and restrictions on the amount of spying carried out on U.S. allies — but without really bringing into question the flaws in the system or the violations of privacy that were put into place after September 11.

The most significant reform presented by Obama discussed who should be responsible for keeping the database of information on the telephone calls made by millions of Americans and non-Americans. Obama said that the U.S. government will no longer maintain control over this data, but that this information could instead be controlled by telecommunication companies. Obama has also stated that it will be necessary to “do a more thorough job” and asked Attorney General Eric Holder to draw up a more detailed proposal by March 28.* Meanwhile, he added, U.S. investigative authorities will “only pursue phone calls that are two steps removed from a number associated with a terrorist organization, instead of the current three.”