France | NSA spied to collect 70 million pieces of data.

[iranigirl2]

PARIS -- PARIS (AP) — The U.S. National Security Agency swept up 70.3 million French telephone records in a 30-day period, according to a newspaper report that offered new details of the massive scope of a surveillance operation that has angered some of the country's closest allies. The French government on Monday summoned the U.S. ambassador for an explanation.

The report in Le Monde, co-written by Glenn Greenwald who originally revealed the NSA surveillance program, found that when certain numbers were used, the conversations were automatically recorded. The surveillance operation also swept up text messages based on key words, Le Monde reported, based on records from Dec. 10 to Jan 7.

The Le Monde reporting emerged as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris for diplomatic talks Monday about a peace process for Israel and Palestinian authorities.

"This sort of practice between partners that invades privacy is totally unacceptable and we have to make sure, very quickly, that this no longer happens," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said during a meeting in Luxembourg with his European counterparts. Fabius said the U.S. ambassador had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry.

Similar programs have been revealed in Britain and Germany. In Brazil, the revelations so angered the president that she cancelled a state visit to Washington and publicly denounced the U.S. for "violation of human rights and of civil liberties."

The most recent documents cited by Le Monde, dated to April 2013, also indicated the NSA's interest in email addresses linked to Wanadoo — once part of France Telecom — and Alcatel-Lucent, the French-American telecom company. One of the documents instructed analysts to draw not only from the electronic surveillance program, but also from another initiative dubbed Upstream, which allowed surveillance on undersea communications cables.

Neither the U.S. embassy nor State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had immediate comment.


NSA France: U.S. Conducted Large-Scale Spying On French Citizens: Report

 

[GDan]

By no means do I approve of the NSA's gross misconduct, but I can't help but be somewhat impressed by the scope of its capabilities.

 

[Karasonmuno]

By no means do I approve of the NSA's gross misconduct, but I can't help but be somewhat impressed by the scope of its capabilities.

Impressed? It has destroyed whatever remained of America's credibility worldwide.

 

[GDan]

Impressed? It has destroyed whatever remained of America's credibility worldwide.

You seem to have misread my original comment. I said that I don't approve of its actions, but the NSA's ability to monitor massive amounts of data is quite a feat. Whether the NSA puts it to noble use or not does little to change its significance from a technical standpoint.

 

[Oldman1]

Impressed? It has destroyed whatever remained of America's credibility worldwide.

I'm more concerned about Canada.

http://news.**********/civil-liberties-group-sues-canada-over-spying-195413843.html

Ottawa (AFP) - A Canadian civil liberties group on Tuesday sued the government's electronic eavesdropping agency, claiming that its "broad and unchecked" surveillance is unconstitutional and an illegal invasion of privacy.

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association alleges that the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC)'s interception of Canadians' private communications and sweeping collection of metadata are unconstitutional.

These activities, it said in a statement, amount to unreasonable search and seizure, and infringe on free expression -- as people who feel they are being watched may not speak freely.

Furthermore, in its lawsuit filed in the British Columbia Supreme Court the group demands that the agency obtain warrants from a judge for individual operations, rather than simply a nod from the minister of defense.

"Unaccountable and unchecked government surveillance presents a grave threat to democratic freedoms," BCCLA lawyer Joseph Arvay said in a statement.

"We are deeply concerned that CSEC is gaining secret, illegal access to the private communications of ordinary Canadians, and there are no reasonable safeguards in place to monitor its activities," he said.

"We know from the experiences of other countries that government agencies have a tendency to push and even break the boundaries of spying unless they are checked."

The CSEC has come under scrutiny after Brazilian TV station Globo alleged earlier this month that the agency had carried out industrial espionage against Brazil's government.

The report was based on documents leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who is wanted by the United States after revealing details of its NSA's massive snooping activities.

CSEC head John Forster has said that his agency "does not target Canadians at home or abroad."

"Protecting the privacy of Canadians is our most important principle," he said in a speech in Ottawa on October 9.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed concern about the allegations, but noted that an independent commissioner oversees the CSEC's activities to ensure compliance with Canadian laws.

The BCCLA said metadata collected by the CSEC is automatically produced each time a Canadian uses a mobile phone or accesses the Internet.

It includes the exact geographic location of the mobile phone user, records of phone calls and Internet browsing, and according to the BCCLA, can reveal "the most intimate details of Canadians' personal lives, including relationships, and political and personal beliefs."

Canada spying in Brazil: more to come, Greenwald promises - Politics - CBC News

Canada spying in Brazil: more to come, Greenwald promises

Canada hasn't seen the last of stories alleging spying activity in Brazil, journalist Glenn Greenwald told CBC News on Monday.

Greenwald collaborated with the news agency that first reported the latest details, working from records leaked to him by former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, he said in an interview with Carol Off, host of CBC Radio's As It Happens.