NSA Director Heckled At Black Hat Cybersecurity Conference

General Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency (NSA), chief of the Central Security Service (CSS) and commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, responds to questions after giving the opening keynote address at the Black Hat USA 2013 hacker convention at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada July 31, 2013. REUTERS-Steve Marcus

NSA Director Heckled At Black Hat Cybersecurity Conference -- CBS News

LAS VEGAS National Security Agency director Gen. Keith Alexander was met with cheers and heckling Wednesday at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, an annual meeting of hackers and cybersecurity professionals.

Alexander was asked to give the keynote address at the conference before former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked documents to the media about PRISM -- a government surveillance program that collected metadata over telecommunication lines. Black Hat organizers say that he could have easily backed out, but chose to attend open a dialog with the hacking community.

The mood was one of respectful skepticism among a majority of audience members. But halfway through the address, which promised to answer tough questions in the wake of the PRISM leak, some in the audience decided they had heard enough.

Alexander was speaking about ways the controversial initiative FAA 702 has thwarted terrorism plots, when he said of the NSA: "We stand for freedom."

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