MI6 chief Sir John Sawers said the leaks from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden "have been damaging and put operations at risk." The heads of Britain's intelligence agencies were questioned by MPs in public for the first time.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, has applauded the Guardian's intelligence reporting for being in the public interest and called for whistleblowers to be protected.
He said that the checks and balances put in place to oversee spy agencies had failed, and accused the security agencies of weakening online security.
"We need powerful agencies to combat criminal activity online – but any powerful agency needs checks and balances and, based on recent revelations, it seems the current system of checks and balances has failed," he said.
Speaking to the The Guardian, he called for a "full and frank public debate" on internet surveillance.
The Democratic presidential candidate may also have shown his cards on his choice of running mate.
The US president also shared a post on Twitter accusing Dr Anthony Fauci of misleading the public over hydroxychloroquine.
Fears over an impending second wave of coronavirus dominates Wednesday’s front pages.