Is the US National Security Agency (NSA) out of control?  The White House is admitting the electronic surveillance agency needs additional “constraints” on is intelligence gathering, revelations of which are irking more US allies every day.

This time, it’s Madrid demanding explanations, after Spain’s El Mundo newspaper (with the help of reporter Glenn Greenwald) reported that the NSA tracked tens of millions of phone calls, texts, and emails of Spanish citizens in December 2012 and January 2013.  The surveillance peaked around 11 December of last year.  Spain has summoned the US Ambassador to explain.

Spain is just the latest country to be angered by US spying.  The leaders of Germany and Brazil are angry over US eavesdropping on their personal mobile phones, revealed by Greenwald and other reports from the intelligence documents smuggled out of the US by fugitive leaker Edward Snowden.

The White House acknowledged the need for “constraints” on the NSA.  US President Barack Obama and his spokesman Jay Carney haven’t comment on specific allegations, but Carney said a White House review of intelligence operations is expected to assist in “properly accounting for both the security of our citizens and our allies and the privacy concerns shared by Americans and citizens around the world.”

The NSA has its critics in Washington, as well.  Powerful US Senator Dianne Feinstein is hammering the agency, saying that spying on allied world leaders is out of bounds, and is promising a Senate investigation.