NSA Director Michael Rogers speaks Thursday at the UC San Diego, calling for a national dialogue on security versus privacy concerns

NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers said Thursday that the nation needs to debate security versus privacy concerns in the wake of revelations of expansive government surveillance revealed by whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

In a wide-ranging speech at UC San Diego, which operates one of the nations largest computer science programs and is a leader in cybersecurity, Rogers contended that the Snowden revelations have hurt the National Security Agencys counterterrorism efforts.

After Snowden, a former NSA contractor, leaked documents 18 months ago, Al Qaeda videos online warned terrorists to avoid certain communications methods because the Americans are onto it, Rogers said.

Dont let there be any doubt from anybody in this room that these revelations have hurt our ability to conduct our mission, he said. As I look at ISIL and others, Im watching those targets change their behavior directly because of this.

Snowden remains abroad after being charged with leaking secret information about U.S. government surveillance programs. He contends hes a whistle-blower who exposed NSA abuses particularly the bulk collection of domestic phone records.

Most of the Snowden stuff was about us and the metadata and all that type of thing, said Lawrence Korb, a senior adviser at the Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C.

External reviews found the NSAs surveillance was within the law. Still, Rogers believes there should be a debate on the long-standing legal framework that authorizes cybersurveillance.

What we need to have, I believe, as a nation is a dialogue about what are we comfortable with here, he said. A world of great security but limited freedom, I have zero interest as a citizen of being a part of that. But the flip side, a world of great freedom but limited security, I dont think that is in our best interests either.

He lamented that at a time when terrorism and cyberthreats are rising, public trust in the oversight of the NSA and other government agencies has plunged.

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NSA chief calls for debate on security versus privacy