News release: “Far more needs to be done to restore the faith of the American people and repair the damage done globally to the U.S. reputation as a defender of human rights on the Internet. We certainly welcome judicial review of metadata queries, the support for more transparency about surveillance, a voice for civil liberties at the FISA Court proceedings, and greater consideration of the rights of people outside the United States. The lack of specifics in the President’s remarks and in the directive he issued today means that this is only the beginning of a much-needed conversation, not the end. At any rate, these proposed changes do not fully address the fundamental problem of bulk collection of personal metadata and fail to adequately protect the rights of people around the world,” GregNojeim, Director of CDT’s Project on Freedom, Security and Surveillance.” See also:

• Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies Presents Report to President Obama
• EPIC: Obama Announces End of NSA Telephone Record Collection Program
  In a widely anticipated speech (video) on reform of the NSA, President Obama announced he would end the NSA telephone record collection program, first requiring a court order for all queries and then ending the NSA massive record request prior to the next renewal. EPIC, legal scholars, the President’s Review Group, and sponsors of the USA FREEDOM Act, including Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Ron Wyden had urged the President to take this step. The President also said that the Administration would move to implement “a majority of the recommendations” made by the Review Group. The President announced several other reform measures, including a public advocate for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, new privacy rights for non-US citizens, more transparency for data collection, a narrowed focus on foreign data collection, greater oversight of signals intelligence, a new Privacy Coordinator at the White House, and a new panel to look closely at privacy and “Big Data.” Still, the President may not have gone far enough to address the scope of NSA programs, the privacy rights of those outside the US, and the need to ensure stronger technical safeguards for Internet stability and reliability. The President also did not indicate whether the U.S. would move to ratify the Council of Europe Privacy Convention or seek legislation to enact the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. For more information, see White House Fact Sheet.”
• WaPo: Obama’s restrictions on NSA surveillance rely on narrow definition of ‘spying’
• The Atlantic: If the vision [Obama] laid out Friday prevails, mass surveillance on innocents will continue and we’ll never enjoy pre-9/11 privacy again.”
• The Economist: Barack Obama and the NSA Walking a tightrope
• Statement by European Commission Spokeswoman on U.S. President Obama’s remarks on the review of U.S. intelligence programmes
• The Verge: President Obama’s NSA reforms show both promise and peril