You"ll want to know this if your #mobile service provider happens to be #AT&T. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/att-has-been-helping-the-nsa-spy-on-internet-traffic-333/

Some newly disclosed documents, dating from 2003 to 2013, cite that the telecom company, AT&T, has been helping the U.S. NSA to spy on the Internet traffic passing across the United States. The topic was first brought to light by the former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden and started a huge debate about individuals’ privacy.

WHAT’S NEW?

The New York Times reported on Saturday that AT&T gave technical support to the National Security Agency, after carrying out an undercover court order, which gave permission to the government of the United States to intercept all web communications of the company’s customers in the United Nations.

HOW DID THAT HELP THE NSA?

Also, the telecom giant helped the spy agency with a series of classified activities, and the documents describe the connection between the NSA and AT&T as “a partnership and not a contractual relationship.” The telecom company helped the NSA to organize and carry out surveillance of international web communications that weathered through junction networks in the United States, and according to the NSA document, AT&T has been providing access to other telecoms and Internet Service Providers as well.

The reason why this access provided is extremely important is because a huge amount of the world’s web communication is transmitted through U.S. cables. The surveillance equipment that AT&T installed in, at least, 17 of its Internet hubs in America is located far away from Verizon’s equipment, and the first who tried the new technology were the company’s engineers.

AT&T’S COMMENTS

The Times report that in 2011 AT&T started giving the agency access to more than 1.1 billion private cellphone calls on a daily basis, in order to prepare for the 9/11 10th anniversary, as the document cites.

AT&T spokesman, Brad Burns, was asked to comment on the New York Times report and he chose to respond by an email to Reuters, saying that the company provides selected information to investigating authorities, only when a person’s life is in danger and time is valuable: “For example, in a kidnapping situation we could provide help tracking down called numbers to assist law enforcement,” he continued.

Burns added that the company has nothing more to report.

AT&T Has Been Helping the NSA Spy on Internet Traffic

Privacy Reforms among NSA XKeyscore Spy Chronicles - http://clapway.com/2015/07/02/privacy-reforms-among-nsa-xkeyscore-spy-chronicles-234/

As the intelligence agency transitions to a new system of collecting data without compromising security, in an investigation published Wednesday, The Intercept explains in great details the NSA XKeyscore spying program.

The latest published report drawn from documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, confirm the swelling accusations that the National Security Agency (NSA) can reach into the web and find any kind of communication, be it emails, photographs or documents.

The Intercept publishing 48 top-secret and other classified documents about XKeyscore dated up to 2013. It was one of the largest releases yet of documents provided by former NSA contractor Snowden.

The Guardian was the first to unveil this covert program in 2013, which involves “a searchable database for intelligence analysts to scan intercepted data.”

Now, emerging details indicate how far-reaching and intrusive the system is.

A few highlights from the report

– Analysts can query NSA XKeyscore database for information on people based on location, nationality, and previous web traffic. As of 2008, the surveillance system had hundreds of field sites spread across the globe.

– Social media sites are becoming key sources of surveillance data.

– With XKeyscore, tracking people is as easy as Googling their name.

– XKeyscore is also used for counterintelligence operations.

– NSA stated that its surveillance system is absolutely necessary to fight against terrorism and protect American citizens.

– XKEYSCORE has been used to spy on Shaykh Atiyatallah, an al Qaeda senior leader and Osama bin Laden confidant. Non-terrorist targets such as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, however, have also been followed.

– NSA partners such as Canada, New Zealand and the U.K., have access to the XKeyscore’s database.

NSA around the world

If the reports released by The Intercept weren’t enough, a new batch of documents published by Wikileaks on Wednesday shows NSA espionage extending to Germany as well as other European key institutions on ‘hot’ issues such as the handling of the Greek debt crisis.

According to a Pew survey published in May, since Snowden leaked details of the NSA two years ago and the documentary Citizenfour was released, a majority of Americans is against the government collecting bulk of data on its citizens and believes that the limits on the types of data collected are not adequate. Most, however, support monitoring the communications activity of suspected terrorists.

The NSA’s program that allowed the agency to collect Americans’ phone records lapsed earlier this month as sections of the Patriot Act briefly expired.

A subsequently passed law, the USA Freedom Act, however, allows the bulk collection to continue, but only for the next six months – a short timeframe to help the intelligence agency transition to a new system of collecting data without compromising security.

Read more about the USA Freedom Act here.

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Privacy Reforms among NSA XKeyscore Spy Chronicles