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Singapore & South Korea Help NSA Tap Undersea Cables

Posted by timothy on from the friends-in-need-with-lots-of-guns dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Singapore and South Korea are playing key roles helping the United States and Australia tap undersea telecommunications links across Asia, according to top secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden. Indonesia and Malaysia have been key targets for Australian and Singaporean intelligence collaboration since much of Indonesia's telecommunications and Internet traffic is routed through Singapore. The NSA has a stranglehold on trans-Pacific communications channels with interception facilities on the West coast of the United States and at Hawaii and Guam, tapping all cable traffic across the Pacific Ocean as well as links between Australia and Japan. Japan had refused to take part."

5 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Why are they doing this? by it0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So I guess everybody is helping the US out with spying and such, but what is their motivation?
    1) They think it's the right thing to do?
    2) There is some (in)direct monetary gain?
    3) They also get spy data?
    4) They think the US is awesome?
    5) All of the above?
    6) Other?

    I feel like i just wrote a poll, but I'm geniunly interested for some insight.

  2. The reasons many countries helped NSA by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As more and more of the leaks have been revealed, more and more countries are being linked to the Global NSA Franchise.

    Those countries don't do stuffs for nothing - and the fact that so many countries have helped doing all the dirty works for NSA means that, in return, USA did something else for them.

    But what can the government of the United States do to return the favor ?

    Money ?

    Nope. USA is bankrupt.

    Fame ?

    Nope. Everybody knows how popular it would be to be included in the "Uncle Sam Lapdog" list.

    Power ? Longevity ?

    Nope and Nope.

    But there is one thing that Uncle Sam can do for them - Uncle Sam let them to live for another day.

    One thing that everybody has witnessed and knew is this --- when and if Uncle Sam wants you to die, you will.

    Look at what happened to Saddam Hussein.

    Look at what happened to Qaddafi.

    Even when Uncle Sam does not kill you, you will still end up in a very terrible place --- go ask Manuel Noriega how he felt, after being Uncle Sam's lapdog for ages, Uncle Sam turned against him.

    There are, of course, _some_ lucky souls who managed to stay alive, no matter how many times Uncle Sam wants to do them in.

    Cuba's Fidel Castro, for example.

    But Fidel is an exception, rather than the rule.

    I will not be surprised with the threats leveled by Uncle Sam against Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore or to whoever was in charge of the South Korean government - and again, both of those countries are themselves in _ VERY PRECARIOUS _ situation.

    South Korea has to face with the fruitcakes from the North.

    Singapore ? It's but " A tiny red island in the vast green sea ", as had uttered by one of Indonesia's former leader.

    USA does not even need to threaten them much to get them to carry out all the dirty deeds --- all USA needed to do is to tell them that, if you don't do this for me, when you're in trouble, I won't help you.

    That is all to get both South Korea and Singapore to get going.

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:The reasons many countries helped NSA by fatphil · · Score: 1, Interesting

      No, you are not. However, if you look at what used to be one of the most respected sources of news in the world, namely the BBC, and analyse the paragraph structure of the news stories on their website, then you will see a depressingly similar correlation; one which I view as an indication that their presumed audience is one with a 10-word attention span, at most:

      Every

      Sentence

      Seems

      To

      Get

      Its

      Own

      Paragraph.

      (And "Nasa" has apparantly become a word, mumble grumble...)

      --
      Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
  3. wait a second! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 5, Interesting

    that makes me ponder, were these cuts accidental or red herrings?

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/06/georgian-woman-cuts-web-access
    http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4267160
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/527148/undersea-internet-cable-cut-effects-50-of-pakistans-traffic/
    http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/mar/28/damaged-undersea-cable-internet-disruption

    i'm aware you can tap fiber without disrupting it but it's underwater which seems difficult to start with and it doesn't mean all the cuts were by the NSA. (since apparently everyone is spy happy)

    everything is suspicious now :((((

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:wait a second! by coofercat · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What's to say they didn't really cut the undersea cable? How about they cut it on nice-and-cosy dry land, but told you it was actually an undersea problem?

      Or... how about they wanted to cut the cable on dry land, but couldn't because it would disrupt everyone using it. Instead, they called up their pals in the Navy and asked them to rent a ship and drop anchor on the cable. At the same time, they cut the cable on dry land, added in their splitters and then let the cable company repair the under-sea problem. When the cable company lit the cable up again, they recalibrated it for the repair to the undersea cut, and the split cut, but never knew about the split cut.

      Or... how about they just got into the cable companies ahead of time and tapped it right there, and actually the anchor drops were real accidents?

      Either way, the cables got tapped, and we got screwed over.