Obama Pledges to Release Report on NSA Spying Reforms
An aerial view of the NSA's Utah Data Center in Bluffdale, Utah. Rick Bowmer/AP
By
Dustin Volz
"Next month, we'll issue a report on how we're keeping our promise to keep our country safe while strengthening privacy," Obama said Tuesday night.
President Obama on Tuesday promised in his State of the Union address to reveal new updates next month about his administration's efforts to rein in the National Security Agency's mass-surveillance programs.
"As Americans, we cherish our civil liberties—and we need to uphold that commitment if we want maximum cooperation from other countries and industry in our fight against terrorist networks," Obama said. "So while some have moved on from the debates over our surveillance programs, I have not."
"As promised, our intelligence agencies have worked hard, with the recommendations of privacy advocates, to increase transparency and build more safeguards against potential abuse," Obama said. "And next month, we'll issue a report on how we're keeping our promise to keep our country safe while strengthening privacy."
Last week, National Journal reported that an announcement would come from the intelligence community by the end of January. Multiple privacy groups were contacted by the White House last week to review the pending updates but the meeting was canceled.
One year ago, Obama gave a major policy speech to address the ongoing revelations from Edward Snowden exposing the NSA's spying programs. He proposed a series of "concrete and substantial" reforms but said that big-ticket changes would have to wait for congressional action.