Why NSA’s PRISM Program Makes Sense (From Forbes)

The National Security Agency’s PRISM program to monitor suspicious overseas Internet traffic is provoking widespread concern, despite President Obama’s firm defense of the effort. Contrary to some of the criticism, though, PRISM isn’t about spying on Americans, or even foreign nationals living here. It’s about intercepting messages that originate from suspected terrorists overseas and just happen to pass through the U.S. because of the way the Internet’s architecture is constructed. As long as adequate safeguards are in place to protect the rights of U.S. citizens, it is an eminently sensible approach to keeping tabs on terrorists. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.