Germany, France, Spain carry out mass surveillance: Snowden files
Source: AFP
London (AFP) - Spy agencies in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden are carrying out mass surveillance of online and phone traffic in collaboration with Britain, according to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the Guardian newspaper reported Saturday.
Britain's GCHQ electronic eavesdropping centre -- which has a close relationship with the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) -- has taken a leading role in helping the other countries work around laws intended to limit spying, the British newspaper said.
The report is likely to prove embarrassing for governments including those of Germany and Spain, which had denounced earlier reports that the NSA was electronically spying on their citizens.
Saturday's report said the intelligence services of the European countries, in a "loose but growing" alliance, carried out surveillance through directly tapping fibre-optic cables and through secret relationships with communications companies.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/germany-france-spain-carry-mass-surveillance-snowden-files-131011110.html
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)But one would have thought that it was ONLY the USA, by the howling on DU and the limp media.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)fascisthunter
(29,381 posts)Time for citizens to take power back from these governments. Governments have gone too far.
brooklynite
(94,727 posts)fascisthunter
(29,381 posts)governments do a lot to take power that were NOT given to them, sometimes. Did you need to really be reminded?
brooklynite
(94,727 posts)brush
(53,850 posts)Of course all the European countries had to publicly and loudly cry out at the NSA revelations but many of us have posted here before that the other countries that could afford it were doing mass surveillance as well, and not just within their own countries.
After all, Jonathan Pollard was caught spying for Israel on us back the 80s, so with the huge advances in technology since then, it was naive to think that this stuff wasn't going on.
The files stolen by Snowden (which he didn't actually read btw he left that up to the newspapers he turned them over to only confirm the surveillance).
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)at least you have given the goose what you gave to the gander.
davidthegnome
(2,983 posts)Seriously, I think almost everyone expected this. The question is, how can citizens of these Nations, as well as the USA, take measures to prevent being spied upon? We have a right to privacy in this Country, and all of this "surveillance", beyond not following due process, has gotten seriously out of hand. I think it's time for some new inventions that will break the NSA toys.
Beacool
(30,251 posts)All the countries complaining that they were spied upon are doing exactly the same thing. The only difference is that our technology is more advanced.
MyNameGoesHere
(7,638 posts)America is no better than any other country and this bullshit about shiny cities and exceptionalism is just that. Bullshit.
George II
(67,782 posts)....under the direction of Snowden so they can stay in the spotlight?
pnwmom
(108,994 posts)instead of trying to make it seem as if the US is unique in it?
Playful Piranha
(13 posts)Your claim that Snowden had been trying to "make it seem as if the US is unique in it" is hereby quickly debunked with extreme ease.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23615014/americas-nsa-bed-germany-and-most-others-snowden
pnwmom
(108,994 posts)One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Democat
(11,617 posts)What will Germany have to say now?
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)Nationalism leads to a lot of people looking foolish.
Celefin
(532 posts)The public was outraged long before that with their governments going humhum...
As usual it's okay if it happens to other people, even (or maybe especially so) if they are your own populace. Funny how those advocating loudest against 'a world government' are promoting the foundations of exactly that.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Luckily France/Germany/Spain got their scorched-Earth righteous indignation on the record and out of the way a couple of weeks back...Because who *didn't* know this was coming???