The Brits Are Spying On Us -- They've Got "More Access" Than NSA

Foreign Policy ^ | Friday, June 21, 2013 | John Reed

[nickcarraway]

We already knew that the U.S. spy agencies collect all kinds on Americans, thanks to leaked documents from NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Now, in a fresh leak, we're learning that Brits are snooping on us, too -- tapping the world's telephone and Internet traffic, and sharing that info with the United States.

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Britain's version of the NSA, is allowed to tap more than 200 fiber-optic data cables running through British territory, giving the organization access massive amounts of telephone and Internet data, according to the Guardian, who revealed today that Snowden provided it with a document detailing the UK spy agencies efforts to collect phone and web data.

GCHQ cable taps allow it to gather recordings of phone calls, email content, Facebook entries and any Internet users web browsing history -- not exactly the anonymous metadata that we've been hearing about on the U.S. side of the Atlantic.

What's not surprising is that the UK shares this information with NSA. Remember, the two nations have their 70-year old "special relationship" and are the founding members of the Five-Eyes intelligence sharing agreement, formally known as the UKUSA agreement (pronounced you-kooza). The Five-Eyes are members of a special club of former British colonies that gather and share super secret signals intelligence with each other -- exactly the type of information gathered by NSA and GCHQ. Australia, Canada and New Zealand are the other three members of this little club that was established by secret treaty during World War II.

[Skepolitic]

For full effect, e-mail the list with soft encryption and an easy password like allahakbar.

[blueunicorn6]

“Shagadelic, baby!”

[DrDude]

Why would anyone waste the time and expense of spying on the US? Panetta, Obama, and the rest give away classified information all the time. they even give the info to Movie producers so it can be spread far and wide.

[Flotsam_Jetsome]

"The British government does not answer to me."

Neither, apparently, does the US government any longer.

Thanks for the Ping, LucyT.

[Peter Libra]

An interesting post on GCHQ. It may not be here nor there, but is good for a chuckle. GCHQ had their initial centre at Eastcote Middlesex (My home town). At neighbouring Ruislip in a neat little bungalow, lived Helen and Peter Kroger. They had New Zealand passports. Kroger set up a used bookshop in London in 1954.

Someone finally caught on and the Krogers were arrested. Communist spies and a long association with the Russians. House full of radio equipment and a transmission antenna. They were spying on the GCHQ spy network (laughs).

They were Morris Cohen and his wife Lona, both Brooklyn Americans. They had served about eight of sixteen years. In 1961, when a British citizen was arrested in Moscow as a spy. A swap was arranged. Both Cohens lived out their days in Moscow.

Mad Magazine used to have cartoons titled "spy versus spy". How anyone could pass as New Zealanders coming from Brooklyn, is still beyond me. GCHQ have long left the gentle suburban confines of Eastcote.

[hawaiianninja]

LOL. No surprise here. Everyone, including our own government, is spying on us nowadays.

[cornfedcowboy]

Anyone know? Could the Brits collect data on U.S. citizens and then provide that info to the NSA? WE could then reciprocate to the Brits. Just a tinfoil type question.

[WildHighlander57]

See #20.

Each country got info on the other’s citizens and sent it to that country’s snoop agency.

They got around the bans on domestic snooping that way.