White House Defends NSA Amid Social Mapping Report

The White House is defending the National Security Agency following a new report that the agency has been scanning the data it collects to map out some Americans' social connections.

White House spokesman Jay Carney says he won't comment on specific intelligence activities. But he says the NSA's activities are directed against foreign intelligence targets and geared toward targeting security risks like terrorism. Carney says US intelligence collection is similar to what other nations do. He says NSA's procedures are approved by the attorney general and, in certain circumstances, a federal oversight court.