How the NSA Is Spying On Everyone: More Revelations

The Intercept has published today a story detailing documents that "reveal how the NSA plans to secretly introduce new flaws into communication systems so that they can be tapped into—a controversial tactic that security experts say could be exposing the general population to criminal hackers." The documents also describe a years-long effort, aimed at hostile and friendly regimes, from the point of view of the U.S. government, to break the security of various countries' communications networks. "Codenamed AURORAGOLD, the covert operation has monitored the content of messages sent and received by more than 1,200 email accounts associated with major cellphone network operators, intercepting confidential company planning papers that help the NSA hack into phone networks."

Comments

Standard M.O.

[entertainment]

Is anyone surprised?

Re:Standard M.O.

[AdamThor]

I guess you can call it illegal, but that sort of implies that there is some sort of authority who can take authority action against transgressors. From the NSA to local police (illegal chokehold, anyone?) the security mechanism in America is without responsible civilian oversight. =(

Re:Standard M.O.

[AdamThor]

"Only if you are stating that President Obama is irresponsible."

As far as the President goes, there are 3 options that I see:
- President Obama may be irresponsible for allowing this level of intrusive surveillance.
- President Obama may not actually have the ability to change this - he may feel his hands are tied. I'm sure there are lots of things he'd like to do.
- President Obama may be responsible, and have control over the agency, but his positions and responsibilities may no longer be purely civilian.

And of course, Obama only has control over the fed. Police killing people and not being held responsible happens at a local level. The failure to hold the security apparatus responsible seems larger than a single agency or it's nominal overseer.

Re:Call a spade a spade

[Anonymous Coward]

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

I'm not even religious, and this quotation came to mind.

Honest question ...

[gstoddart]

Do the NSA and the American government believe in any way they should be free from other people spying on them? Or have they completely given up and decided "fuck it, everybody is spying anyway"?

Because if the NSA or the US government are ever again going to complain about Chinese hackers, or pretty much any form of computer crime, it's the biggest pile of shit imaginable.

Pretty much America has publicly said "we'll spy on anybody we can", which means you have no right to bitch when others do it you.

Thanks, assholes, for undermining the rights of everyone on the planet.

Re:Call a spade a spade

[TubeSteak]

While this is a good point, one of the questions we should be asking ourselves is to what degree the agency is under effective political control. For many years the FBI wasn't because it had the goods on everyone.

We have three branches of Government and the NSA belongs to the Executive Branch.

From what we've seen so far, the Legislative branch has simultaneously expanded the NSA's spying powers and been kept in the dark about the scope of the NSA's activities (which prevents meaningful oversight).

The Judicial branch's oversight of the NSA is something of a mystery.
We don't know what the NSA tells the FISA court and the FISA court doesn't know what the NSA isn't telling them.
And pretty much any other judicial cases involving the NSA get shut down with the claim of national security.

We know for certain that the Executive branch has been issuing classified opinions and directives to give the NSA expansive powers.
They're under "under effective political control," just not the kind of control that the majority of Americans desire.