John Kerry Admits US Spying Has 'Reached Too Far'

John Kerry

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US secretary of state promises some US spying practices will end as global outrage at surveillance builds

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has admitted that some of America's spying activities have "reached too far".

He said many of the surveillance practices were carried out "on automatic pilot, because the technology is there and the ability is there."

Speaking to a conference in London via viedolink [sic], Mr Kerry promised that a review of National Security Agency surveillance work would result in some spying activities being halted altogether.

"The president and I have learned of some things that have been happening in many ways on an automatic pilot, because the technology is there and the ability is there," he said.

"I assure you, innocent people are not being abused in this process, but there's an effort to try to gather information, but in some cases, some of these actions have reached too far and we are going to try to make sure it doesn't happen in the future." Read on and comment » | Bonnie Malkin and agencies | Friday, November 01, 2013

Spain Summons US Ambassador over Claim NSA Tracked 60m Calls a Month

Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister of Sapin

THE GUARDIAN: El Mundo newspaper reports having seen NSA document that reveals extent of agency's monitoring of Spanish phone calls

The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has summoned the US ambassador to explain the latest revelations to emerge from the files leaked by Edward Snowden, which suggest the National Security Agency tracked more than 60m phone calls in Spain in the space of a month.

Spain's European secretary of state, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, is meeting James Costos as the White House struggles to contain a growing diplomatic crisis following accusations that the NSA monitored the phones of scores of allies, including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.

El Mundo newspaper reported on Monday that it had seen an NSA document that showed the US spy agency had intercepted 60.5m phone calls in Spain between 10 December 2012 and 8 January this year. » | Paul Hamilos in Madrid | Monday, October 28, 2013

EL MUNDO: Margallo: si se confirma el espionaje, podría suponer 'ruptura de confianza' entre España y EEUU » | Ana Romero | Madrid | Lunes, 28 de octubre 2013

EL MUNDO: La NSA niega que Obama aprobara el espionaje a Merkel » | Europa Press – Berlin, Reuters – Washington | Lunes, 28 de Octubre 2013

Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in Berlin

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: According to SPIEGEL research, United States intelligence agencies have not only targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone, but they have also used the American Embassy in Berlin as a listening station. The revelations now pose a serious threat to German-American relations.

It's a prime site, a diplomat's dream. Is there any better location for an embassy than Berlin's Pariser Platz? It's just a few paces from here to the Reichstag. When the American ambassador steps out the door, he looks directly onto the Brandenburg Gate.

When the United States moved into the massive embassy building in 2008, they threw a huge party. Over 4,500 guests were invited. Former President George H. W. Bush cut the red-white-and-blue ribbon. Chancellor Angela Merkel offered warm words for the occasion. Since then, when the US ambassador receives high-ranking visitors, they often take a stroll out to the roof terrace, which offers a breathtaking view of the Reichstag and Tiergarten park. Even the Chancellery can be glimpsed. This is the political heart of the republic, where billion-euro budgets are negotiated, laws are formulated and soldiers are sent to war. It's an ideal location for diplomats -- and for spies.

Research by SPIEGEL reporters in Berlin and Washington, talks with intelligence officials and the evaluation of internal documents of the US' National Security Agency and other information, most of which comes from the archive of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, lead to the conclusion that the US diplomatic mission in the German capital has not merely been promoting German-American friendship. On the contrary, it is a nest of espionage. From the roof of the embassy, a special unit of the CIA and NSA can apparently monitor a large part of cell phone communication in the government quarter. And there is evidence that agents based at Pariser Platz recently targeted the cell phone that Merkel uses the most. » | SPIEGEL Staff | Sunday, October 27, 2013

Germany Presses for 'Complete Information' on U.S. Spying Allegations

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Germany’s interior minister is pressing for “complete information” from Washington on the alleged U.S. surveillance of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone and any other snooping.

Merkel complained to President Barack Obama on Wednesday after receiving information her phone may have been monitored. German spy chiefs plan to travel to Washington for talks.

Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich was quoted Sunday as telling newspaper Bild am Sonntag he wants “complete information on all accusations” and that “if the Americans intercepted cellphones in Germany, they broke German law on German soil.” He added wiretapping is a crime and “those responsible must be held accountable.”

News magazine Der Spiegel, whose research prompted the government’s response, reported that a document apparently from an NSA database indicates Merkel’s cellphone was first listed as a target in 2002.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry lands in Rome and Paris to talk about Mideast issues but is confronted by outrage over U.S. spying abroad. President Barack Obama has defended surveillance activities to leaders of Russia, Mexico, Brazil, France and Germany. » | The Associated Press | Washington | Sunday, October 27, 2013

Barack Obama 'Approved Tapping Angela Merkel's Phone 3 Years Ago'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama was told about monitoring of German Chancellor in 2010 and allowed it to continue, says German newspaper

President Barack Obama was personally informed about secret US monitoring of Angela Merkel three years ago, according to latest reports on the eavesdropping affair.

The President allowed the National Security Agency (NSA) to continue spying on the German chancellor, it was claimed.

Mr Obama was told of the secret monitoring of Mrs Merkel by General Keith Alexander, the head of the NSA, in 2010, according to Bild am Sonntag, a German newspaper.

“Obama did not stop the action at that time but allowed it to continue,” a US intelligence source close to the NSA operation told the Sunday newspaper.

The White House later commissioned an extensive NSA dossier about Mrs Merkel, according to Bild. » | Louise Barnett, Berlin and Philip Sherwell, New York | Sunday, October 27, 2013

My comment:

Obama's presidency is falling apart. He has p***** off so many of his friends and allies in a matter of weeks: France, Germany, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Brazil. He is leading America down a road that will both impoverish the country and destroy its reputation in the world. I see that respectable German newspapers are already talking of a post-American era. Obama talked so much of "hope and change" before his first election victory. What he should have talked of is 'despair and destruction'. Americans beware: It takes a long time to build a wonderful nation, but it can be destroyed in short order. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Stop Watching Us: Largest Privacy Rally in US History Hits DC

Crowds are flooding Capitol Hill in Washington DC, venting their fury against the NSA's sweeping surveillance practices. The organisers say it's the largest pro-privacy rally in US history.

'National Stasi Agency': Germans Furious over Intel Sharing with NSA

German intelligence is sharing large swathes of telecommunications data with the US - according to latest revelations published in Der Spiegel magazine. Documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden show that the degree of surveillance cooperation between Berlin and Washington is higher than officials would like to admit.

Restore the Fourth: Nationwide Anti-NSA Spying Protests Hit US

An anti-NSA surveillance nationwide protest and online campaign was triggered on Thursday. It aimed to restore the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, which protects US citizens from "unreasonable searches and seizures."

Spying Survey: German Trust in US at Lowest Level Since Bush

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Ongoing revelations about the NSA spying scandal have pushed German trust in the US to its lowest level since the presidency of George W. Bush. A new survey also finds that Germans want Chancellor Merkel to stand up to Washington.

It wasn't all that long ago that US President Barack Obama could take credit for having repaired a trans-Atlantic relationship that had taken a hit under his predecessor, George W. Bush. Early in his first term, some 78 percent of Germans saw the US as "a country that could be trusted."

This week, though, following revelations of large-scale US spying in Europe and vast Internet surveillance, that trust has taken a hit. A survey released late on Thursday found that only 49 percent of Germans now view the United States as trustworthy, the lowest level since Bush was in the White House. It also marks a plunge of 16 points relative to a survey taken in December 2011. » | cgh -- with wire reports | Friday, July 05, 2013

Obama's Soft Totalitarianism: Europe Must Protect Itself from America

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Is Barack Obama a friend? Revelations about his government's vast spying program call that assumption into doubt. The European Union must protect the Continent from America's reach for omnipotence.

On Tuesday, Barack Obama is coming to Germany. But who, really, will be visiting? He is the 44th president of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. He is an intelligent lawyer. And he is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

But is he a friend? The revelations brought to us by IT expert Edward Snowden have made certain what paranoid computer geeks and left-wing conspiracy theorists have long claimed: that we are being watched. All the time and everywhere. And it is the Americans who are doing the watching.

On Tuesday, the head of the largest and most all-encompassing surveillance system ever invented is coming for a visit. If Barack Obama is our friend, then we really don't need to be terribly worried about our enemies. » | A Commentary by Jakob Augstein | Monday, June 17, 2013

Big Phish: Snowden's Leaks Could Be Just Tip Of Iceberg
The revelations of the G20 spying come as the scandal caused by Snowden's earlier disclosures - on the extent of US surveillance after its own and foreign citizens - is gaining momentum. Dozens of lawsuits are being filed against the government's practices - while many lawmakers continue to defend the operation. It has also emerged that the scope of the surveillance - and the help it received from corporations - may have been underestimated.

Escobar: Obama Starts Syria War to Deviate from Snowden Scandal
CIA whistle blower Edward Snowden has reportedly been stopped from flying to the UK. The man who lifted the lid on America's secret surveillance activities is being pursued by Washington. For his latest revelation, he told a Hong Kong newspaper that the U.S. repeatedly hacks into Chinese computer networks. For more about the leaks and Snowden's future we're now joined live by Pepe Escobar, a roving correspondent for the Asia Times.

ACLU Sues Government Over NSA Surveillance
The fallout of the National Security Agency's surveillance programs continues and now the American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Obama administration for its role in scandal. According to the ACLU, the program "represents a gross infringement of the freedom of association and the right to privacy." International human rights attorney Stanley Cohen discusses the most recent developments.

Inside Story Americas: Is Obama Going Beyond Orwellian?
We examine if American security measures are going too far.

Inside Story Americas: Public Safety or Privacy Intrusion?
We discuss if it is acceptable for the US government to access American citizens' personal data.

The Tor Project »

'EU Shocked & Angry by Unaccountable US Surveillance'
The recent NSA leaks have awakened many Europeans to the "disturbing" privacy violations regularly committed by the US that their own governments facilitated and may have benefited from, Jim Killock, the executive director of Open Rights Group, told RT

'NSA 'Bamboozling' Lawmakers for Access to Americans' Private Data' - Agency Veteran
American citizens hoping to change the way the NSA monitors their everyday activities have little hope of recourse, longtime agency veteran Bill Binney told RT. He said the way the Patriot Act is interpreted is the a big first step toward totalitarianism.

Putin on NSA Leak: Govt. Surveillance Shouldn't Break Law (EXCLUSIVE)
"If surveillance is in the framework of the law, then it's ok. If not it is unacceptable. You can't just listen to the phone call in Russia; you need a special order from court," Putin said answering the question of RT's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan. Commenting on Obama's statement that "You can't have 100 per cent security and 100 per cent privacy," Putin disagreed, saying it is possible if done within the law.

A.C.L.U. Sues to Bar ‘Dragnet’ Collection of Phone Records
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration over its “dragnet” collection of logs of domestic phone calls, contending that the once-secret program — whose existence was exposed by a former National Security Agency contractor last week — is illegal and asking a judge to both stop it and order the records purged.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, could set up an eventual Supreme Court test. It could also focus attention on this disclosure amid the larger heap of top secret surveillance matters that were disclosed by Edward J. Snowden, a former N.S.A. contractor who came forward on Sunday to say he was the source of a series of disclosures by The Guardian and The Washington Post.

The program “gives the government a comprehensive record of our associations and public movements, revealing a wealth of detail about our familial, political, professional, religious and intimate associations,” the complaint says, adding that it “is likely to have a chilling effect on whistle-blowers and others who would otherwise contact” the A.C.L.U. for legal assistance.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment. » | Charlie Savage | Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Edward Snowden NSA Leaker: Boehner Says ‘He’s a Traitor’
Speaker of the House talks to George Stephanopoulos about the screening of Americans' phone records.