Tag Archives: NSA
22 January 2015
According to whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Dutch security agencies AIVD and MIVD do whatever the United States security agency NSA tells them to do. Snowden, who worked for both the NSA and CIA, said that the Dutch agencies are regarded as ‘subordinate’. ‘The Dutch work for the Americans. They do what they are told,’ he said, and ‘[t]hey are not valued in terms of their capacities but for the access they offer. The NSA uses this.’ (more…)
Source: DutchNews.nl | Dutch security services ‘work for the US’, says whistleblower Snowden
3 April 2014
The exchange of information between Dutch intelligence services and the United States National Security Agency (NSA) is no longer taking place entirely outside the public eye. After a graph published in German news magazine Der Spiegel in August 2013 initially seemed to suggest that the NSA had intercepted 1.8 million records of metadata from Dutch phone calls in the period of December 2012 to January 2013, it became clear this February that Dutch intelligence services had gathered these records themselves, and had subsequently shared them with the NSA. This information consisted of metadata records gathered in the context of anti-terrorism and military operations abroad.
A substantial share of Dutch intelligence efforts is directed towards Somalia, and millions of Somali phone calls have been intercepted from both the Dutch town of Burum and Dutch navy ship HMS Rotterdam. The Netherlands has been collecting this information in order to support the Dutch contribution to the navy missions combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden. The (meta)data is shared with the NSA (who do not have access to Somali telephone traffic) and in return the US has provided the Netherlands with technical support needed to intercept local telephone traffic from the HMS Rotterdam.[1] (more…)
17 February 2014
The Australian Signals Directorate, Australia’s intelligence agency, informed the NSA that it was conducting surveillance of an American law firm, which was retained by the Indonesian government for help in trade talks, and offered to share the information. This information comes from a top-secret document obtained by Edward J. Snowden, former NSA contractor. Additionally, the Australians said that ‘information covered by attorney-client privilege may be included.’ Liaison officials for Australia asked the NSA for guidance about the spying and the Australian agency ‘has been able to continue to cover the talks, providing highly useful intelligence for interested US customers.’ The Australian surveillance of such talks shows the extent to which the NSA and its allies engage in economic espionage.
The NSA and the Australian government have declined to answer questions about the surveillance. However, the Australian Defense Force stated that information gathering is to support Australia’s national interests and that intelligence agencies obey their legal obligations, including when it involves foreign counterparts. Recently disclosed documents show the cooperation between the US and Australia, including the sharing of facilities and highly sensitive intelligence. The Australian and NSA eavesdropping services focus mainly on Asia, particularly Indonesia and China.
Source: The New York Times | Spying by N.S.A. Ally Entangled U.S. Law Firm
4 February 2014
A hacker organisation in Germany, The Chaos Computer Club, accuses Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government of helping US and British intelligence agencies to spy on German citizens. Furthermore, the organisation has filed a criminal complaint against Merkel with the Federal Prosecutor General, however, it is not guaranteed that an investigation will ensue. The complaint alleges that Merkel’s government violated the personal privacy of German citizens through ‘illegal and prohibited covert intelligence activities, along with aiding and abetting such activities’ by allowing and assisting US and British agencies.
Edward J. Snowden, former contractor for the NSA, told reporter Hubert Seipel in an interview that Germany’s intelligence service and the NSA have an ‘intimate’ relationship. Additionally, Snowden stated that ‘[t]hey not only share information, the reporting of results from intelligence, but they actually share the tools and the infrastructure.’ While Steffen Seibert, Merkel’s spokesman, said that to file such a criminal complaint is the right of every German citizen, he declined to comment further on the situation.
Source: The New York Times | Hacker Group Accuses Merkel Government of Helping to Spy