WASHINGTON, Dec 4 —Revelations that the National Security Agency spied on world leaders has tarnished America’s image and reinforced the need for reform, former US president Bill Clinton said yesterday in a broadcast interview.
“I think there ought to be very explicit rules on listening in on conversations of world leaders,” Clinton told the Fusion network’s show “America with Jorge Ramos.”
The administration of current President Barack Obama has been under fire this year after a former NSA analyst leaked documents showing the extent of US spying, reportedly including on world leaders such as those in allies Mexico, Brazil and Germany.
Clinton said that during his 1993-2001 presidency, he had “serious reservations” about such intelligence gathering on leaders.
“Well, it depended on who they were,” said Clinton, who like Obama is a Democrat.
“If we thought they were engaged in hostile acts against the United States... then (American agencies) might do it. But — I’m not sure — we didn’t have the capability then to do a lot of what’s being done today.”
Over the last several months US lawmakers have debated the benefits of operations that have seen intelligence agencies scoop up vast amounts of personal data, including from most phone calls in the United States, in an effort to thwart terrorist attacks.
Clinton argued that more transparency in the process is needed.
“The way the data has been handled, it’s not clear that it’s maximised our security, and it’s perfectly clear that it’s eroded some people’s sense of privacy,” Clinton said.
“So I think the most important thing we can do now is have a really public discussion about what the rules should be.”
The revelations by onetime NSA contractor Edward Snowden have had “a damaging effect,” he said.
“And not just in Latin America, but in Europe and Asia. Now, it’s interesting because in some other countries it’s come out that those governments were doing the same thing, or that other governments had given us permission.”
Since Snowden’s first bombshell disclosures were published in June, lawmakers have introduced several bills aimed at reining in US bulk data collection.
Obama said he favours strengthening congressional oversight, but reformers aim to go further, by ending the massive system that collects metadata on virtually every American. — AFP
