NSA Bombshell Shocks Former Spooks: "Why in The World Would We Burn Google?"

[Jesus Malverde]

Former intelligence officials and technology industry executives reacted with anger and anxiety over the latest revelations that the National Security Agency is reportedly infiltrating some of the world's biggest technology companies and making off with the private communications of millions of their customers. And if the reports are accurate, it could be very bad news for U.S. technology companies, who have been complaining for months that their government's secretive intelligence operations are threatening their business and driving customers towards their foreign competitors.

"I think they're in an almost impossible situation," Rep. Adam Schiff, a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, told The Cable. Speaking of Silicon Valley firms who are obligated to cooperate with the NSA, Schiff said recent leak revelations threatened to negatively impact their bottom lines. "It's definitely going to hurt their business and I think we ought to do everything we can to mitigate that damage. I'm very sympathetic to what they have to confront."

The Washington Post reported today that the agency "has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world." According to documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the agency is intercepting emails, documents, and other electronic communications as they move between the companies' privately controlled facilities and the public Internet, giving the NSA access to data in nearly real-time.

The latest revelations are likely to inflame an already tense relationship between the Obama administration and American technology companies, many of whose customers live outside the United States and are not protected by laws that prohibit the NSA from spying on Americans en masse.

"Why in the world would we burn a relationship with Google by breaking into a data center?" one former intelligence officer asked.

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/10/30/nsa_bombshell_shocks_former_spooks_why_in_the_world_would_we_burn_google

[longship]

1. Why indeed?

[Demo_Chris]

2. kick

[Downwinder]

3. They are Nationalized in everything but name.

About like Air America in Southeast Asia. Just give them a coat of black paint.

[Fumesucker]

4. Because they can

And who the fuck is going to tell them no, eh?

[Enthusiast]

9. They appear to be "all powerful."

[Hekate]

5. Oh crap

Crap crap crappity crap

knr

[Jesus Malverde]

6. German journalists urged to shun Google and Yahoo

The union representing German journalists advised its members on Thursday to stop using Google and Yahoo because of reported snooping by U.S. and British intelligence.

"The German Federation of Journalists recommends journalists to avoid until further notice the use of search engines and e-mail services from Google and Yahoo for their research and digital communication," the union said in a statement.

It cited "scandalous" reports of interception of both companies' web traffic by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain's GCHQ.

"The searches made by journalists are just as confidential as the contact details of their sources and the contents of their communication with them," said Michael Konken, head of the union which represents about 38,000 journalists. He said there were safe alternatives for both searches and email.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the NSA had tapped directly into communications links used by Google and Yahoo to move large amounts of email and other user information between overseas data centers. It said the program was operated jointly with GCHQ.

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE99U0Y420131031?irpc=932

[ThoughtCriminal]

7. After 9/11 there has an "Anything Goes - Blank Check" attitude

and we still haven't shaken that off.

[Enthusiast]

10. It seems that 911 was the catalyst for a number of fundamental changes.

Imagine that.

[closeupready]

8. Why? Because power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[Rex]

11. Horse and pony show. Google IS the govt.

Yeah why would they burn AT&T for that matter? The stupid it burns us!