Obama bans spying on leaders of U.S. allies, scales back NSA program

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about college education at the White House in Washington January 16, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama announced a ban on U.S. eavesdropping on the leaders of close friends and allies on Friday, and rein in the vast collection of Americans' phone data in a series of reforms triggered by Edward Snowden's revelations.

In a major speech, Obama took steps to reassure Americans and foreigners alike that the United States will take into account privacy concerns that arose after former U.S. spy contractor Snowden's damaging disclosures about the large monitoring activities of the National Security Agency.