Americas...:US to Declassify Documents on Spy Programs

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Local Editor

US spy agencies intend to release newly declassified documents about the National Security Agency surveillance programs revealed by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden.

The declassified documents were intended to provide the public more information about the programs as part of a commitment by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper for greater transparency.

An American intelligence official told Reuters that the documents would also include information about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court which operates in secrecy regarding decisions on government surveillance requests.

The American daily The Washington Post cited officials as saying that an order the administration plans to declassify would be made public before a Wednesday morning hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee where officials from the NSA, Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence were to testify.

For his part, General Keith Alexander, director of the NSA, said he was glad the government was taking action to declassify more information.

"I think it is the right thing. I think it helps articulate what we are trying to do and why we are trying to do it," he told Reuters on Wednesday.

Snowden leaked covert documents in June from the United States National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI that are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading US Internet companies, extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track foreign targets.

The program, code-named PRISM, was leaked by Snowden to American The Washington Post and The Guardian UK dailies.

Snowden is currently in the transit zone of a Moscow airport awaiting documents that allow him to step out of the transit zone and move freely in Russia until his asylum requests to several countries are considered.

Three countries in Latin America known for their anti-US stance - Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela - have said they would be willing to give him refuge.

Source: News Agencies, edited by website team