in the amazing news today: - U.S. Taps into Global Internet Cables Through Foreign Deals - NSA Writes Code Used in Google Phone - Retired FISA Judge Calls for Court’s Reform U.S. Taps into Global Internet Cables Through Foreign Deals Details continue to emerge on U.S. surveillance of the global Internet. The Washington Post reports the National Security Agency’s PRISM program mining the servers of major Internet companies like Google and Facebook has run in parallel with a separate operation called "Upstream." Through Upstream, the NSA taps directly into the fiber-optic cables that carry the vast majority of global Internet traffic. The United States has ensured access by sending a group of federal officials dubbed "Team Telecom" to reach agreements with global telecom providers. A 2003 agreement with the Asia-based Global Crossing imposed "an internal corporate cell" of Americans to make sure surveillance requests were approved. Global Crossing was also forced to establish a U.S.-based "Network Operations Center" where U.S. agents could show up with just 30 minutes’ notice. The United States has used the Federal Communications Commission as leverage to hold up the approval of cable licenses sought by foreign firms. NSA Writes Code Used in Google Phone The tech giant Google has confirmed the National Security Agency furnished some of the code installed in its new Android phone. The NSA says the code is intended to enhance security against hackers and marketers, but will not confirm whether it also aids the agency’s PRISM program monitoring the global Internet. Retired FISA Judge Calls for Court’s Reform A retired federal judge who served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that approves government surveillance is calling for reform of the court’s duties. The FISA court has come under increased scrutiny in the aftermath of Edward Snowden’s disclosures for essentially crafting a secret, separate body of law that abets wholesale spying. The New York Times reported over the weekend the FISA court has become a "parallel Supreme Court," issuing over a dozen classified rulings that allow the government to seize mass phone records and Internet data. The Wall Street Journal reports that in a series of orders dating back to the mid 2000s, the FISA court, or FISC, endorsed an expansion of the word "relevant" to mean "an entire database of records on millions of people." On Tuesday, a former member of the FISA court broke ranks to say the secretive judicial body should be stopped from settling matters of policy. Speaking at a public hearing, former D.C. Circuit Judge James Robertson said: "Anyone who has been a judge will tell you a judge needs to hear both sides of a case. ... This process needs an adversary."
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 06:00:16 +0000
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