NSA Targeted French Foreign Ministry

[Indi Guy]

Last edited Mon Sep 2, 2013, 11:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Der Spiegel (international)

America's National Security Agency (NSA) targeted France's Foreign Ministry for surveillance, according to an internal document seen by SPIEGEL.

Dated June 2010, the "top secret" NSA document reveals that the intelligence agency was particularly interested in the diplomats' computer network. All of the country's embassies and consulates are connected with the Paris headquarters via a virtual private network (VPN), technology that is generally considered to be secure. Accessing the Foreign Ministry's network was considered a "success story," and there were a number of incidents of "sensitive access," the document states.

An overview lists different web addresses tapped into by the NSA, among them "diplomatie.gouv.fr," which was run from the Foreign Ministry's server. A list from September 2010 says that French diplomatic offices in Washington and at the United Nations in New York were also targeted, and given the codenames "Wabash" and "Blackfoot," respectively. NSA technicians installed bugs in both locations and conducted a "collection of computer screens" at the one at the UN.

A priority list also names France as an official target for the intelligence agency. In particular, the NSA was interested in the country's foreign policy objectives, especially the weapons trade, and economic stability...


Read more: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nsa-targeted-french-foreign-ministry-a-919693.html#spLeserKommentare

[L0oniX]

1. What are friends for. n/t

[Indi Guy]

3. Evidently our "friends" aren't too happy about this...

From the article:

US-French relations are being strained by such espionage activities. In early July, French President François Hollande threatened to suspend negotiations for a trans-Atlantic free trade agreement, demanding a guarantee from the US that it would cease spying after it was revealed that the French embassy in Washington had been targeted by the NSA.

(...And I'm curious to see what's in this, "trans-Atlantic free trade agreement." If it's anything like NAFTA or CAFTA we's better be on high alert.)

[L0oniX]

5. They will do whatever they want. They've given us the finger. This govenment is owned.

I am at this point totally pessimistic and have zero confidence in our government representing the majority of the people ever again. I hope the French tell us to go f' off. Oh yea and did we have a vote on NAFTA? NO ...and we won't have a vote on future US Government/corporate trade agreements. Politics is a suckers game IMO. It's rigged!

[daleo]

2. Cue the "everyone spies on everyone else all the time" brigade

Truth is, most countries don't spend a fraction of the money that the U.S.does on spying. Poor ones don't have the resources and most rich countries choose to spend a much smaller proportion of their taxes on these activities. Instead, they focus on things like pensions, health care and education.

[Rain Mcloud]

4. Remember when the US was scolding China for spying?

[link:|

[L0oniX]

6. Hypocrisy is what make us American.