European Union countries have announced the first steps to address allegations that the United States has been spying on its allies.
Senior German intelligence officials and a delegation from the European Parliament are to travel separately to Washington for talks.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that United States intelligence agencies may have been monitoring the mobile phone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and millions of French phone calls.
France and Germany are hoping to negotiate a new set of rules with the Americans by the end of the year, the BBC reports.
They are looking to sign a trust pact - an arrangement similar to Five Eyes, a secret intelligence-sharing operation between the US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The signature countries are not supposed to spy on each other.
The European Union commissioner responsible for privacy rules, Viviane Reding, says people are shocked by the spying.
"How can allies spy on allies like this, how can people (who) want to build on the exchange of trade, on an opening of our borders - how can they destroy this credibility they have in such a way as the Americans have done?" she asked.
US State Department spokesperson Jenn Psaki said the Obama administration is considering the proposals from Germany and France.
She said the United States will seek expert advice in re-evaluating its methods.
The United States has acknowledged the spying allegations have created significant challenges and tensions in relationships with European governments.
UN resolution will call for internet privacy
Brazil says it is working with Germany and other countries on a draft resolution for the United Nations General Assembly that will call for the right to privacy on the internet.
The resolution will aim to extend existing legislation on civil and political rights regarding the internet.
It will not be critical of any country, but the BBC reports it will be an expression of disapproval of United States electronic surveillance around the globe.
Snowden's leaks damaging - former CIA official
Meanwhile, a former high-ranking CIA official says leaks from the exiled intelligence analyst Edward Snowden represent the most serious breach of classified information in US history.
In August Mr Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia, after fleeing the US several months earlier.
Michael Morrell, who had been deputy director and acting director of the CIA, told CBS television's 60 Minutes the former intelligence contractor's disclosures have damaged efforts to track possible terror threats.
Mr Morrell says Mr Snowden, who portrayed himself as a whistleblower concerned about US eavesdropping and other secret surveillance, is a traitor to his country
He says the most damaging disclosure exposed the intelligence community's secret budget, or "black book".
Mr Morrell says details of what intelligence agencies spend money on can reveal priorities and potential weaknesses that foreign spy services can exploit.