Hat tip: K. G.

Source: WTOP Radio

President Barack Obama on Friday will call for ending the government’s control of phone data from millions of Americans, a senior administration official said. The move marks a significant change to the National Security Agency’s controversial bulk phone record collection program.

Obama will announce the move in a highly anticipated speech Friday morning at the Justice Department. However, the official said Obama will not recommend who should control the phone data and will instead call on the attorney general, intelligence community and Congress to make that determination.

A presidential review panel has recommended moving the data to the telephone companies or a third party. However, the phone providers have balked at changes that would put them back in control of the records.

The official insisted on anonymity because this person was not authorized to discuss the president’s decision by name.

Obama’s speech caps a months-long administration review of the widespread NSA surveillance program, made public by former systems analyst Edward Snowden. Obama had been widely expected to back mostly modest changes to the surveillance network at home and abroad, while largely leaving the framework of the controversial programs in place.

Read more on what the president wants.

WTOP.com will carry the president’s speech at 11 a.m.

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