EXCLUSIVE: NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say

[Douglas Carpenter]

Source: Washington Post

The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, according to documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials.

By tapping those links, the agency has positioned itself to collect at will from among hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans. The NSA does not keep everything it collects, but it keeps a lot.

According to a top secret accounting dated Jan. 9, 2013, NSA’s acquisitions directorate sends millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency’s Fort Meade headquarters. In the preceding 30 days, the report said, field collectors had processed and sent back 181,280,466 new records — ranging from “metadata,” which would indicate who sent or received e-mails and when, to content such as text, audio and video.

The NSA’s principal tool to exploit the data links is a project called MUSCULAR, operated jointly with the agency’s British counterpart, GCHQ. From undisclosed interception points, the NSA and GCHQ are copying entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-infiltrates-links-to-yahoo-google-data-centers-worldwide-snowden-documents-say/2013/10/30/e51d661e-4166-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html

[lark]

1. This administration totally blows when it comes to privacy issues.

The constitutional scholar should be ashamed of himself for allowing this.

[agent46]

3. Allowing this?

There's reason to believe the presidency isn't in control of very much at all these days.

[lark]

5. That's another problem, and I don't disagree.

But, he created these circumstances by letting all the Bush embeds stay in place instead of firing them as is the normal practice. His deep desire for bi-partisanship has been his undoing since day 1, imagine where we'd be if he hadn't caved in to the Repugs and let the Bush tax cuts stand a few years ago. Imagine him prosecuting the traitorous actions of the previous admin? Imagine him going all out for single payer? Imagine him standing firm on privacy? So many wasted opportunities.

[Chaco Dundee]

15. so true

You said it perfectly,I have seen it that way from day one.lost opportunities and wasted chances for meaningful change.

[DeSwiss]

21. Why would he have control over embeds?

- The last President who tried to exercise his powers was Kennedy.

[harun]

7. The President is just the actor representing the interest and will of the Corporations

[LiberalLovinLug]

16. You are right of course

But sometimes I fantasize a scenerio, something out of a Philip K Dick book perhaps, where President Obama or some future President shocks the establishment by pulling one over on the mega-corps and .1%ers. Promising to do their bidding as every other Presidential candidate MUST do to even be considered. Its pretty obvious this is the status quo.

But then right after inauguration has an alternate speech prepared and talks directly to the American people about how he will prosecute Wall Street criminals, go after corrupt politicians, kicks out lobbyists etc etc.. Then when the inevitable impeachment hearings are called for...calls for his head on a platter from Republicans and even a lot of Democrats (because it threatens their lifestyles) he goes directly back to the people for support. And in my fantasy, he gets it overwhelmingly and so the other politicians end up either falling in line or face the wrath of their constituents.

A President that would risk it all, risk being thrown out of office just when he or she has just reached the peak of their ambitions, to actually force through real change.

But I am resigned that this is simply a fantasy. Not only about such a character existing, and being able to fool even his/her own party in the primaries just to get the chance, but also about a brainwashed, neutered society actually rising up and backing him/her up in great numbers.

I'd like to at least see the Hollywood version though.

[Indi Guy]

19. Actually, we had a president who did exhibit the courage you speak of .

JFK risked it all and paid the ultimate price for having the audacity to actually govern over this nation in general, an Spook Central specifically. The example was set, and since then no president has ever dared go after the MIC driven secret orgs.

[perkygrubb]

27. The era of the savior is over

Even though I get you're talking about a fantasy, it's time we stop looking outside ourselves for an agent to enact the (positive) change we want to see. We have to look to each other and ask "why aren't you doing anything dude?" We also need to look in the mirror and say the same thing, of course.

I know, this is probably a bummer and may put folks on the defensive. They may even ask: "since you're pointing fingers, what are YOU doing "dude""?

Well a lot actually. And if I get my way, every American will be free of debt, homeowners will actually own their homes mortgage free, and we'll never pay another penny in taxes, yet our country will be even stronger.

Am I planning an overthrow? Not really. What I am doing is exercising the humbling task of bringing to Americans the solution they've been looking for, but looking in the wrong place(s). As much as we think democracy is going to do it, as much as we may hope that the past has our solutions, as long as we think protest is going to make a difference, it just isn't. What will is inspiration, courage and commitment to create a future we all want.

The first step is recognizing we have a problem. I think we'd all agree with that. The next step is to identify a viable alternative. The third step is to passionately rally around that alternative until the deal is done. Steps One and Two are done. I'm fomenting step three among the global population.

[The Stranger]

11. Don't you think they have compromising information on the President?

Paging J. Edgar Hoover.

[lark]

31. You know, I've wondered about that often.

MY thought process is: is he being bribed, threatened, or just a trojan horse to begin with? Don't know which. .

[The Stranger]

32. I don't know what you'd call it either, but it Hoover wrote the book on it.

They have the goods on him just like everybody else.

[perkygrubb]

33. Trojan...

I vote for the trojan horse theory. I thought he was different and would usher in change for the better. A lot has changed, but what needed to change most hasn't happened.

[blkmusclmachine]

29. Just because some person is a self-proclaimed "scholar" of something, does not necessarily follow

that (s)he actually supports the thing that (s)he is a "scholar" of.

[lark]

30. LOL, too true

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Yet another reason

Not to have accounts with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook, etc...

[Indi Guy]

4. The NSA 'breaking into' Google & Yahoo is like...

...Goldman Sachs breaking into their downtown branch.

[Maedhros]

6. Well, this is certainly outside the scope of theoretically-legal surveillance:

The infiltration is especially striking because the NSA, under a separate program known as PRISM, has front-door access to Google and Yahoo user accounts through a court-approved process.

The MUSCULAR project appears to be an unusually aggressive use of NSA tradecraft against flagship American companies. The agency is built for high-tech spying, with a wide range of digital tools, but it has not been known to use them routinely against U.S. companies.

The NSA is clearly violating the law with MUSCULAR. What is Eric Holder going to do about it?

[christx30]

12. He's going to get up in front of

Congress and angrily defend it, as if the people that have a problem with it are terrorists/traitors. "Yeah we did it. We're going to continue to do it. Wanna make something of it !?"

[Jesus Malverde]

8. Didn't they already break this but in an even more sinister way... FoxAcid

That the NSA has man in the middle machines that mimic google, so an unsuspecting target types in www.google.com but actually are connecting to a government computer which uses a browser exploit and injects a trojan on the targets machine.


http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131004/10522324753/

The NSA uses these fast Quantum servers to execute a packet injection attack, which surreptitiously redirects the target to the FoxAcid server. An article in the German magazine Spiegel, based on additional top secret Snowden documents, mentions an NSA developed attack technology with the name of QuantumInsert that performs redirection attacks.

[DirkGently]

9. "I hope you publish this."

This rabbit hole grows ever deeper.

[PassingFair]

14. Hey! Glad to see you posting.

Are you mended?

[DirkGently]

18. Ha! Never left -- iDevices are great.

Reading DU from the hospital was oddly comforting. Free wi-fi and they never tried to take my iPad. Even posted a bit from there. Internet access was a huge boon, especially given the TV got local Fox but not MSNBC.

Mending well, I think. Appointment tomorrow for X-ray and possibly a smaller splint, which I hope will let me get back to work.

Thanks for asking. It was cool seeing all the support from DUers when someone posted about my accident. Those "good vibes" threads really do some good, I think.

Stay off of ladders.



- DG

[PassingFair]

24. Hope you're feeling no pain!

Bet they're going to miss you in your local "iron-man" race this year, but better safe than sorry!

[bvar22]

10. Where is Joe Biden now that we need him?

I have it on good authority that our government does NOT spy on Americans,
and that the Nuclear Power Plant at Fukushima was "just venting a little steam",
so we don't have anything to worry about.

[KoKo]

20. Good Question! He's walked to lunch with POB a couple of times

for Photo Op...but, that's about it. Maybe he does everything in background.

[AzDar]

13. K & R &

[Zorra]

17. This is news? They're always messing with me when I'm researching. nt

[DeSwiss]

22. K&R

"Only puny secrets need protection. Big discoveries are protected by public incredulity." ~Marshall McLuhan

[SlipperySlope]

23. I knew the NSA did some outrageous shit, but this is most outrageous of all.

So if they can't get it with a warrant, they just get it anyway?

[DeSwiss]

25. For years no one would even admit that the NSA existed.

- They got used to having it all their way. And they see no reason to change now.

[grasswire]

26. looks like we need a president who has no family

Because a man with a family can be threatened and coerced in many more ways than a single man can.

We need an ugly-mug bulldog president with principle and courage. And if he's eliminated, the world will know who the enemies of freedom are.

[riderinthestorm]

28. Waiting for the flood of "Snowden's still a traitor/patsy/scumbag" brigade to arrive 3..2..1..

Jeez could it get any more jaw dropping!?

K&R

[Douglas Carpenter]

34. KNR

[Douglas Carpenter]

35. knr

[Indi Guy]

36. The NSA is just going by the book.