US defends surveillance programme

August 09, 2013 16:00

The United States has defended its controversial Internet and telephone surveillance programme, saying the National Security Agency (NSA) examines only a very small percentage of the world's traffic and focused entirely on foreign terrorist threats.

"In carrying out its mission, NSA collects only what it is explicitly authorised to collect," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters yesterday.

"And while NSA analysts examine only a very small percentage of the world's traffic, if communications of US persons are incidentally collected the agency must follow minimisation procedures that are approved by the US Attorney General and designed to protect the privacy of US persons," Carney said.

"Specifically, these procedures require NSA to minimise the acquisition processing, retention and dissemination of information of or concerning US persons," he said adding that the purpose of the program is to investigate and potentially

prevent terrorist threats emanating from foreign sources.

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