Obama calls for significant changes in collection of phone records of U.S. citizens --- President Obama called Friday for significant changes to the way the National Security Agency collects and uses telephone records of U.S. citizens, moving to transition away from government control of the information and immediately require authorities to obtain a court order to access it. -- After more than six months of controversy over U.S. surveillance policies, Obama said that — barring a specific threat — he has ordered an end to eavesdropping on dozens of foreign leaders and governments who are friends or allies, a move the White Hope hopes will restore trust in the intelligence community and in the government’s ability to balance national security and privacy interests. -- Obama also said he is taking steps to protect the privacy of foreigners by extending to them some of the protections currently given to Americans. -- In a speech at the Justice Department, the president said the NSA’s data-collection program remains a critical tool for U.S. intelligence agencies to root out and prevent terrorist activities. He made clear that he has not seen any indication of abuse in the NSA phone program, but said he recognizes the potential for abuse and is asking for reforms aimed at those concerns. -- Calling for a “new approach” to the collection of phone records, Obama said he was “ordering a transition that will end the . . . bulk metadata program as it currently exists and establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk metadata.” - More, Washingtonpost, at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-speech-obama-to-call-for-restructuring-of-nsas-surveillance-program/2014/01/17/e9d5a8ba-7f6e-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html?hpid=z1