Top officials said Edward Snowden's leaking of documents was irresponsible, adding that al Qaeda is "lapping it up," during the first evidence session including Britain's three top intelligence agency chiefs, Reuters reported.
The three officials were Andrew Parker the head of M15, John Sawers the head of M16 and Iain Lobban GCHQ director, and all three complained to Parliament about the damages whistleblower Snowden caused with leaking surveillance tactics, Reuters reported.
"The leaks from Snowden have been very damaging, they've put our operations at risk," Sawers said during the hearing, according to Reuters. "It's clear that our adversaries are rubbing their hands with glee, al Qaeda is lapping it up."
Meetings with the three officials have always happened behind closed doors in the past, and the name of the head of MI6 was only revealed in 1992, Reuters reported. The hearing only lasted about 90 minutes and was televised.
The meeting, the first of its kind, and the fact it was televised can be viewed as a step towards good faith and more open communication with the public about what intelligence agencies are up to.
All three officials agreed that Snowden's leaks about mass surveillance the UK and United States have undertaken led them to believe the agencies should be more open to the public about what they do, Reuters reported.
The officials insisted, though, that many parts of their work needed to remain a secret for national security purposes, and data leaks, such as Snowden's, which show Britain's partnership with U.S. National Security Agency can cause damage, according to Reuters.
During the hearing, Lobban expressed the anger of the intelligence chiefs about what they all believe to be irresponsible handling of information which can affect national security. He also blasted newspapers for publishing the information after being warned not to, according to Reuters.
Lobban also told lawmakers the intelligence chiefs were "actively considering" whether more information should now be shared with the public as a result, but cited different occasions where information that was leaked is being used by enemies, Reuters reported.
"We've seen terrorist groups in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and elsewhere in south Asia discussing the revelations in specific terms," Lobban said, according to Reuters. "We have actually seen chat around specific terrorist groups who, even close to home, discuss how to avoid what they now perceive to be vulnerable communications methods, or how to select communications which they now perceive not to be exploitable."
Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected calls for greater oversight of the agencies, arguing that it's already subject to proper scrutiny and that its work needs to be kept secret to protect national security, according to Reuters
Cameron, who is also angered by Snowden's disclosures, has even gone far enough and accused American and British newspapers which published the leaked information of assisting Britain's enemies by helping them to avoid surveillance by its intelligence agencies, Reuters reported. He has also threatened to stop future publications if necessary.
