US officials offer few concessions on NSA spying to privacy board

The US government is open to some changes to how it conducts its phone and Internet surveillance programs as long as they do not undermine the programs' effectiveness, US officials told a privacy oversight board.

How exactly the US phone and online data-gathering programs could strike such a balance -- helping thwart terrorist plots while also protecting Americans' privacy -- is under review by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. No timeline has been set for the board's work, but ultimately it will issue a report to President Barack Obama and Congress on the legal standards now used for online and phone spying by US intelligence agencies and what reforms may best ensure Americans' privacy is protected. "I think we've learned a lot about some potential reforms that the government was amenable to," the board's Chairman David Medine said after a public hearing with officials from the National Security Agency, FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Justice Department. Chairman Medine said he saw some openness from government officials about updating some privacy protections for foreigners and changing how long the government keeps the records it collects. Privacy advocates worry that the programs aimed at tracking down foreign terrorists also scoop up private data about Americans, and US allies like German Chancellor Angela Merkel have complained about surveillance of their communications. "We are open to consideration of a variety of possible reforms to the program so long as they don't eliminate its utility," said DNI General Counsel Robert Litt.