Post date: Oct 31, 2013 7:48:46 PM
Mixed reaction in Washington and New York to the Washington Post report that the NSA has been intercepting Google and Yahoo communication links overseas.
WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 31, 2013) (REUTERS) - The National Security Agency has tapped directly into communications links used by Google and Yahoo to move huge amounts of email and other user information among overseas data centers, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday (October 31).
The report, based on secret NSA documents leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden, appears to show the agency has used weak restrictions on its overseas activities to exploit major U.S. companies' data to a far greater extent than realized.
In Washington, there were mixed reactions from people on the street. Some people, likeKarina Korol, a tourist from California, said that recent revelations about NSA surveillance have made her think twice about what she says over the phone.
"I always say like I have nothing to hide, but at the same time, even me, I've found myself like you know joking on the phone with my friends like, 'oh, what if they're listening," you know?" Korol told Reuters.
Others, like Washington resident Rocky Twyman, thought that NSA surveillance is important to maintain security.
"Well I just think we're living in such dangerous times that it's really necessary, and I don't see why the foreign governments are complaining because they probably do the same thing to us. But the thing is I guess that they're sort of jealous because our level of sophistication is much higher than most countries because we are a very technical savvy company," Twyman said.
In New York, feelings were also mixed. One local resident, Marty Gottlieb, objected to NSA surveillance on the simple grounds of privacy.
"I don't like government agencies tapping into anyone's private information. It's private information by definition so they should not be doing it."
Previously reported surveillance programs included those that allowed easy searches of Google's, Yahoo's and other Internet giants' material based on court orders. But since the interception in the newly disclosed effort, code named MUSCULAR, occurs outside the United States, there is no oversight by the secret intelligence court.
The newly disclosed program, operated jointly with the United Kingdom's Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, amassed 181 million records in one recent 30-day span, according to one document reported by the Post. It could not be learned how much of that included material from U.S. residents, how the agency redacted data on them or how much of the information was retained.
The report is likely to add to growing tensions between the U.S. intelligenceestablishment and the tech companies, which have been struggling to assure customers overseas that they need not fear U.S. spying.