Leaks from former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden triggered a much needed debate about surveillance in America, even if they jeopardized national security, the country's spy chief admitted Thursday.
"As loathe as I am to give any credit for what's happened here, which is egregious," said National Intelligence Director James Clapper, "I think it's clear that some of the conversations that this has generated, some of the debate... actually probably needed to happen."
Speaking at a conference in Washington, Clapper said the public debate about the best way to balance spying powers and privacy rights should "perhaps" have taken place earlier.
"So if there's a good side to this, maybe that's it," he said.
His comments marked the first time a senior US intelligence official has acknowledged the leaks might not have had a solely negative impact.
Officials have previously labeled Snowden a traitor who endangered America's interests and spies in the field.
Clapper, who oversees all 16 US intelligence agencies, predicted there would be more revelations from Snowden, and said he was worried about their long-term effects.
He said he was concerned about "the impact, frankly, on our national security and the damage caused by these continuous stream of revelations."
But he said the intelligence community should be more open about its work, even if that meant taking more risks, to ensure that Americans and their representatives in Congress trusted their spy services.
He said his office had this week declassified hundreds of pages of documents from the court that oversees electronic surveillance as part of an attempt to be more transparent.
"Transparency of course is a double-edged sword. It's great for us, great for our citizens. But of course the adversary goes to school on that transparency too," he said.
"But I'm convinced we have to err on the side of more transparency because, most importantly, we won't have any of this if we don't have the trust and confidence of citizens and their elected representatives."
Clapper said he had met with executives from some news media companies to discuss the fallout from the Snowden leaks and found a "big gulf" between how the two sides viewed what affects national security.
And he acknowledged that it was difficult to make the case publicly for current surveillance powers in the aftermath of a wave of bombshell revelations.
It was "a real challenge to sort of punch back and make the alternative case," he said.
"So one of the things we're doing, obviously, is to try to open up, be more transparent, explain to people what we're doing."
To prevent more leaks from insiders, the intelligence agencies were working to improve security clearances and to introduce a single system for all the spy agencies' computer services, he said.
Snowden had worked as a subcontractor in a National Security Agency regional office in Hawaii before handing over secret documents to newspapers that lifted the lid on the extent of US surveillance, including trawling through Americans' phone records and online traffic.
Snowden, who has been charged with espionage by US authorities, has secured temporary asylum in Russia, and his disclosures continue to trickle out in the Guardian and other publications.
President Barack Obama has defended the NSA's surveillance as lawful but has left the door open to more oversight from Congress or through other measures.
Clapper, who addressed an intelligence and security alliance "summit," said he expected new legislation to revise surveillance authorities, and that the changes would be helpful if it helped shore up public confidence.
But he said the NSA, for which he worked earlier in his career, was "an honorable institution" that deserved respect for its work.
AFP
Thu Sep 12 2013
KEDA berhasrat tanam padi wangi, padi huma tahun ini
Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah (KEDA) berhasrat membangunkan tanaman padi wangi dan padi huma di beberapa kawasan pertanian dalam wilayahnya, tahun ini.
Mesyuarat perundingan Enam Pihak Arab bincangkan perkembangan di Gaza
Mesyuarat perundingan Jawatankuasa Enam Pihak Arab itu membincangkan perkembangan serangan Israel ke atas Semenanjung Gaza.
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.
Kembangkan kandungan tempatan melalui AI
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Organisasi Kerjasama Digital (DCO) Deemah Al Yahya, terdapat 2.7 peratus daripada penduduk dunia tidak berhubung malah tidak mempunyai sambungan asas internet. Beliau turut berkata infrastruktur pengkomputeran setiap negara perlu mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengembangkan kandungan tempatan khususnya yang melibatkan penggunaan AI.
AI tidak dapat ganti guru
Menteri Pendidikan Rwanda, Gaspard Twagirayezu berkata kepesatan teknologi AI dalam pendidikan tidak dapat menggantikan guru malah membantu guru dalam menyediakan bahan pengajaran yang bermanfaat kepada pelajar.
Edward Snowden dapat pasport Rusia
Edward Snowden bakal menghadapi tuduhan pengintipan dan berdepan hukuman 30 tahun penjara di Amerika Syarikat jika dia kembali.
Edward Snowden diberi kerakyatan Rusia
Snowden hidup dalam buangan di Rusia sejak mendedahkan program NASA yang menjejaskan jutaan rakyat pada 2013.
Wanita maut dihempap tingkap hotel tertanggal
Tiba di Hong Kong pada pagi, maut pada tengah hari.
Edward Snowden sertai Twitter, hanya ikut akaun NSA
Snowden merupakan individu kontroversi yang menjadi buruan polis ekoran pembocoran maklumat rahsia kerajaan Amerika Syarikat.
Oliver Stone akan arah filem Edward Snowden
Ia akan dibikin berdasarkan sebuah buku yang ditulis oleh seorang wartawan Britain mengenai Edward Snowden yang hidup dalam pelarian.
Kerajaan terus pantau isu intipan asing -- Shahidan
Katanya Malaysia menolak sebarang bentuk pengintipan oleh mana-mana pihak kerana perbuatan itu menjejaskan kedaulatan negara dan hubungan dua hala.
Pengintip UK, AS simpan berjuta-juta imej kamera web Yahoo: laporan
Program 'Optic Nerve' mengumpul dan menyimpan imej-imej perbualan kamera web tanpa mengira samada mereka adalah suspek atau tidak.
Obama janji henti kawalan data telefon ratusan juta penduduk
Obama turut janji perlindungan bagi komunikasi warga asing dan arahan serta merta kepada agensi risikan bagi mendapatkan perintah mahkamah sebelum mengakses data sulit individu.
PM: M'sia menentang kegiatan pengintipan terhadap mana-mana kerajaan
Malaysia telah menghantar nota bantahan kepada pejabat Kedutaan Amerika Syarikat dan Suruhanjaya Tinggi Australia berhubung dakwaan pengintipan dilakukan di negara ini.
Snowden terima suaka politik dari Venezuela - Rusia
Kesahihan berita itu dipertikai apabila maklumat yang diterbitkan menerusi Twitter itu dipadam. Ia juga turut dinafi oleh Wikileaks.