U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said Thursday that President Barack Obama’s speech last week announcing changes to the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs is a “huge win” for critics.
Obama’s speech came in reaction to outcry from opponents who questioned whether some of the NSA’s activities may be unconstitutional. Documents leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden showed the NSA was storing basic information on hundreds of millions of domestic phone calls.
“To me, that’s a violation of privacy, and it’s ineffective, and it’s based on secret law,” Udall said in a telephone interview with The Durango Herald editorial board.
Udall has been one of the sharpest NSA critics in Washington. He said Obama’s speech was a step in the right direction, even though the president didn’t address all of his concerns.
“It’s a huge milestone in this fight I’ve been waging for years,” he said.
Obama suggested the bulk collection of phone records could be left to telecommunications companies instead of the NSA. Federal regulations require the companies to keep the data for 18 months.
“I don’t see a need for the providers to hold the data longer than they already do,” Udall said.
Udall has called on Snowden to return to the United States to face prosecution for the leaks. But he said Thursday that the “massive scope” of the NSA’s surveillance activities are indicative of a broken system.
“A broken system produces people like Edward Snowden,” he said.
Udall also said he wants changes to the NSA’s foreign-surveillance program that inadvertently scoops up Americans’ email messages. And he wants a full-time privacy advocate assigned to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews the programs.
Udall praised the work of Obama’s review panel that forwarded recommendations to the president.
“All 46 recommendations of his panel had real merit,” he said.
Udall said the “hardworking, loyal, patriotic” intelligence operatives at the NSA “need to be told the limit of their powers and activities.”
“We can be secure, but we can also protect our privacy,” he said.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
