Germany Compares US Bugging to 'Cold War'

[enhanced_deficit]

Germany Compares US Bugging to 'Cold War' http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/AP_nsa_germany_lt_130630_16x9_992.jpg
In this picture, taken Saturday June 29, 2013, a demonstrator protests with a poster against NSA in Hanover, Germany. Germany's top justice official says reports that U.S. intelligence bugged European Union offices remind her of "the methods used by enemies during the Cold War." Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was responding to a report by German news weekly Der Spiegel on (AP Photo/dpa, Peter Steffen)


http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/germany-compares-reported-us-bugging-cold-war-19535635

Would be interesting to see how Obama or private bankers who funded him will respond to this.

[Lucille]

They're all in cahoots!

http://voxday.blogspot.com/2013/06/datagate-goes-international.html


I was catching up on the Italian news this morning and saw that Datagate is what the Italian press is calling the explosive new revelations that the NSA has secret agreements with European countries to spy on European citizens as well. The news is not quite so readily available in English, although Prachi Gupta's article at Salon is still accessible (http://www.salon.com/2013/06/29/nsa_reportedly_has_secret_data_collection_agreemen t_with_several_european_countries/):


The NSA has been working with at least seven European other countries to collect personal communications data, according to Wayne Madsen, a former NSA contractor who has come forward because he does not think the public should not be “kept in the dark.” According to Madsen, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Italy all have formed secret agreements with the US to submit sensitive data.

The Guardian reports:

Under international intelligence agreements, confirmed by declassified documents, nations are categorised by the US according to their trust level. The US is first party while the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand enjoy second party relationships. Germany and France have third party relationships.

In an interview published last night on the PrivacySurgeon.org blog (http://www.privacysurgeon.org/blog/incision/former-nsa-contractor-warns-of-murky-interception-arrangements/), Madsen, who has been attacked for holding controversial views on espionage issues, said he had decided to speak out after becoming concerned about the “half story” told by EU politicians regarding the extent of the NSA’s activities in Europe.

He said that under the agreements, which were drawn up after the second world war, the “NSA gets the lion’s share” of the sigint “take”. In return, the third parties to the NSA agreements received “highly sanitised intelligence”.

The news could be potentially damaging to countries, particularly Germany, whose chancellor Angela Merkel has vocally condemned the NSA program that recently came to light by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

This sounds like Echelon on steroids, dwarfing anything Orwell imagined in Big Brother. Moreover, as La Repubblica reports, the Observer article has already been removed from the web "pending an investigation:
[...]
These revelations should give a massive boost to the growing anti-Merkel forces in Germany, as it reveals her to be a shameless and bald-faced liar.

It's up again (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/30/nsa-spying-europe-claims-us-eu-trade).

http://www.privacysurgeon.org/blog/incision/former-nsa-contractor-warns-of-murky-interception-arrangements/


Following a rather turbulent sequence of events in the reporting of this blog by the Observer and Guardian newspapers, coverage can now be found in the Guardian story here.

_______________________

A former contractor to the US National Security Agency (NSA) has told the Privacy Surgeon that communications intelligence arrangements between the US and Europe are much more “complex, murky and far reaching” than the public has been led to believe.

Wayne Madsen, formerly a lieutenant with the US Navy, first started working for the NSA in 1985, and over twelve years held a number of sensitive contract positions that exposed him to technical and operational aspects of the agency. He maintains a close relationship with the intelligence community.

Madsen spoke to the Privacy Surgeon yesterday to express his concern about the “half story” being conveyed by EU politicians about the extent of NSA activities in the region.

He was particularly concerned about the “sanctimonious outcry” of political leaders who were “feigning shock” about recently disclosed spying operations such as PRISM while staying silent about their own role in global interception arrangements with the United States.

“I can’t understand how Angela Merkel can keep a straight face – demanding assurances from Obama and the UK – while Germany has entered into those exact relationships”

“She’s acting like inspector Reynaud in Casablanca: ‘I’m shocked – shocked – to find gambling going on here’”
[...]
“The FISA act – the one we’re alleged to have walked all over – was amended in 2008, and the changes made to the FISA act in 2008 were far more dramatic – far more far-reaching – than anything President Bush authorised me to do under his article 2 commander-in-chief authorities,” said General Hayden.

Madsen named seven EU countries that have been substantially engaged in communications intelligence gathering alongside the US. These are Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Those seven countries have formal second and third party status under the NSA’s signals intelligence agreements, and are contractually bound to the US.
[...]
“A lot of this information isn’t secret, nor is it new” commented Madsen. “It’s just that governments have chosen to keep the public in the dark about it. They don’t understand that the days when they could get away with a conspiracy of silence are over.”

Madsen’s criticism applies with particular relevance to the UK government, which for decades denied the existence of a web of SIGINT bases in Britain, instead describing them as “defence facilities” subject to full accountability.

Madsen also expressed anger over the NSA’s hypocrisy over Edward Snowden.

“Snowden is being roundly condemned by many who say he had no authority or right to provide the public with details of NSA snooping. But what right or authority did NSA director, General Keith Alexander, have to provide information on NSA surveillance at five meetings of the global Bilderberg Conference – two in Virginia and one meeting each in Greece, Spain and Switzerland?”

“Alexander claims he is protecting the American people from a constantly changing number of terrorist attacks. In fact, he is providing information to elites on the methods NSA uses to spy on labor, student, religious and progressive organizations.”

“When Alexander leaks to the elites, he’s thanked. When Snowden does it, he’s called a traitor and a coward.”

While much of Madsen’s material is already known – particularly among intelligence observers – his commentary will be a sobering reminder to the intelligence agencies that there are thousands of contractors out there who are capable by degrees of exposing much of the entire SIGINT apparatus. The more the agencies obfuscate and personalise, the greater the likelihood that other contractors will come forward.

“It’s time for the disinfectant of sunshine”, he added.

[surf]

bypassing the "where's the outrage?" post, i'd like to state that I am outraged.