US President Barack Obama on Monday conversed with French President Francois Hollande over the phone following the news reports about the US National Security Agency's alleged spying efforts against French citizens, said the White House.

"The President and President Hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press -- some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed," said the White House in a statement.

Obama told his French counterpart that the United States has begun to review its intelligence-gathering to address the balance between security concerns and privacy concerns of US citizens and its allies.

The White House said the two presidents agreed that the two sides should "continue to discuss these issues in diplomatic channels moving forward."

US embassy in Paris said the French Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Charles Rivkin Monday over French media reports alleging the US had spied on millions of phone calls in France.