Stunning new details continue to emerge from Edward Snowden's leaks about the vast electronic data mining carried out by the National Security Agency, setting off one diplomatic aftershock after another.
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The latest was spurred by reports in Le Monde this week that the agency had gained access to the records of more than 70 million calls inside France in one 30-day period. The American ambassador was summoned to the French Foreign Ministry for an explanation; President François Hollande told President Obama by telephone that the data sweep was "unacceptable," and the matter has already become an issue in a visit to Paris by Secretary of State John Kerry intended to focus on Syria.
Previous reports based on Mr. Snowden's information have alleged American eavesdropping on Germany, Britain, Brazil, Mexico, European Union offices and European diplomatic missions. More revelations are likely.
The Obama administration's response has been that the United States seeks to gather foreign intelligence as other nations do. That is not in dispute, and no doubt much of the public indignation by France and other governments is largely rhetorical. Le Monde reported in July that the French intelligence agency has its own extensive electronic surveillance operation. Nor is there much dispute that intelligence is necessary to protect citizens against terrorists and other enemies.
But the very scale of America's clandestine electronic operations appears to be undercutting America's "soft power" — its ability to influence global affairs through example and moral leadership. Brazil has complained about the reach of American surveillance, while the European Parliament has revived an effort to enact privacy legislation that could impose restrictions on American Internet providers and further complicate talks on a trans-Atlantic trade and investment agreement.
Mr. Kerry said the United States was working to find a balance between protecting privacy and providing security in a dangerous world. Mr. Obama has pledged to review electronic intelligence gathering, as well as the institutions charged with judicial and political oversight, a vow he must honor given the scope of the N.S.A.'s operations.
The fact is that most nations practice electronic surveillance and that citizens everywhere surrender personal data voluntarily to digital services and social networks. That is why free countries must place stern limits on the security institutions allowed to function in the shadows.
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