Obama to unveil proposals to reform NSA surveillance programs next week

US President Barack Obama will unveil his proposals to reform the National Security Agency's surveillance programs next week, the White House announced on Friday. The White House said the president will make the announcement in a speech on Jan. 17. "He will be making remarks to discuss the outcomes of the work that has been done in the review process," White House spokesman Jay Carney said at the daily briefing. "The president has been clear throughout this review process that we will not harm our national security or our ability to face global threats," said Carney. He said the measures are to create more transparency and give American people more confidence. The president has met with lawmakers, intelligence officials, executives of technology companies in recent weeks. He has also been reviewing the 46 recommendations submitted by a presidential advisory panel last month. The panel called for "a series of significant reforms" to enhance transparency and privacy to the controversial NSA surveillance programs, including tighter limits of the domestic telephone surveillance programs, according to the panel's report released by the White House. However, it is not clear whether those sweeping recommendations will be enacted. The controversial surveillance programs have made headlines and triggered outrage home and abroad since they were first disclosed in June by former defense contractor Edward Snowden. The Obama administration has vowed to make some changes to the controversial surveillance programs in an effort to rebuild public trust. But the president, supporters in Capitol Hill and intelligence leaders, have defended the NSA's work in the past months.