Obama Scales Back NSA Eavesdropping Program

President Barack Obama today banned U.S. eavesdropping on the leaders of close friends and allies and began reining in the vast collection of Americans' phone data in a series of reforms triggered by Edward Snowden's revelations. (Reuters, 17 January)

“The reforms I'm proposing today should give the American people greater confidence that their rights are being protected, even as our intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain the tools they need to keep us safe," Obama said.

“The leaders of our close friends and allies deserve to know that if I want to learn what they think about an issue, I will pick up the phone and call them, rather than turning to surveillance,” Obama added. (Reuters, 17 January)

One of the biggest changes will be an overhaul of the government's handling of bulk telephone “metadata.” Obama said the program will be ended as it currently exists. In a nod to privacy advocates, the government will not hold the bulk telephone metadata.

In addition, Obama said the U.S. the government will need a judicial review before the database, which lists millions of telephone calls, can be queried.

File photo: Reuters

Saudi Arabia Links Spy Cell to Tehran

Iran Has Denied Any Links

Saudi Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that an alleged spy cell reportedly dismantled last week had “direct links” to Iran’s intelligence services.

“Preliminary investigations and physical evidence that has been collected as well as the defendants’ statements on this case have all revealed direct links between this cell and Iranian intelligence services,” a ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the SPA, Saudi Arabia’s official news agency.

“These elements had regularly received sums of money in return for information and documents on important installations during the spy operation in the interest of these services,” the statement said. (The Gulf News, 27 March)

On 19 March, the interior ministry in Riyadh said authorities had arrested 18 people including an Iranian citizen on espionage charges. Iranian foreign ministry has denied any links to the suspected spy cell.

Photo credit: jamnews.ir

U.S., Israel View Iranian Threat Differently – Gen. Dempsey

The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said today that Israel and the United States view the Iranian nuclear threat differently. He added that the two countries have a different interpretation of the same intelligence reports regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

“Israel sees the Iranian threat more seriously than the U.S. sees it, because a nuclear Iran poses a threat to Israel's very existence,” Gen. Dempsey said.

The senior U.S. military officer also said he and his Israeli counterpart, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz regularly confer on the Iranian nuclear issue.

“We speak at least once every two weeks, we compare intelligence reports, we discuss the security implications of the events in the region,” said Dempsey, adding, “At the same time, we admit that our clocks ticking at different paces. We have to understand the Israelis; they live with a constant suspicion with which we do not have to deal.”

Gen. Demsey noted, “You can take two countries, give them the same intelligence and reach two different conclusions. I think that's what’s happening here.”

Source: Arutz Sheva, 19 August 2012