Federal Insights

October 10th Cybersecurity Update – Head of NSA Defends Agency’s Surveillance Programs

The head of the National Security Agency is appealing to the cybersecurity industry to defend his agency's surveillance programs. Speaking at a Maryland confere...

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

October 10, 2013 12:39 pm

< a min read

The head of the National Security Agency is appealing to the cybersecurity industry to defend his agency’s surveillance programs. Speaking at a Maryland conference, Army General Keith Alexander says media reports have focused on what the NSA could be doing with the data it gathers, rather than what it actually is doing. He calls the reporting “sensationalized” and says it could impact cyber legislation in Congress. Meanwhile, the open-records website Muck Rock says the NSA has seen a one- thousand percent rise in Freedom of Information Act requests since Edward Snowden began leaking information.