Panel Urges Curbs on US Surveillance

A panel of experts appointed by President Barack Obama to review US surveillance methods has recommended limits for the National Security Agency. Currently the NSA collects and stores many US phone records. Among the 46 recommendations: storage of US phone records by telephone companies or another third party rather than the government; court approval for specific records of US citizens; a prohibition on undermining commercial encryption tools or standards; and civilian rather than military leadership for the NSA. The recommendations are not mandatory, and other government officials insist the surveillance is necessary to combat terrorism. The review suggests that policies must keep up with a rapidly changing world that includes “unprecedented advances in information and communications technologies; increased globalization of trade, investment, and information flows; and fluid national security threats against which the American public rightly expects its government to provide protection.” The panel admits that the traditional borders between foreign and domestic endeavors are no longer distinct. – YaleGlobal