The NSA is now spying on 90% of worldwide mobile networks according to a new report from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. According to the NSA leaker, the mobile networks are being spied on through an internal program called Auroragold. The program, through various hacks, allows NSA officials to listen in on phone calls and read text messages. <\/p>\n
Last year, journalists Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald met Snowden in Hong Kong. At that time he provided the pair with various pieces of classified information about NSA spying techniques. Through their on-line publication, The Intercept, the journalists occasionally leak information they obtained from their meeting with Snowden. <\/p>\n
According to the latest report from The Intercept, NSAs Auroragold program has been spying on more than 1.200 e-mail accounts and communications made through dozens of mobile phone networks all over the world. Those high priority accounts are among the millions that the agency has access to throughout the various networks they have hacked. <\/p>\n
The Snowden report claims that the NSA is most interested in targeting the GSM Association (GSMA), which is headquartered in the United Kingdom. GSM technology is used by the likes of AT&T, Vodafone, Microsoft, Apple, and Samsung, among others. <\/p>\n
According toThe Intercept,the NSA is most interested in GSMAs documentation for roaming technology. That tech allows mobile phone users to travel all over the world, while still using their GSM-enabled smartphones and tablets on non-home networks. <\/p>\n
Documents already leaked by Snowden in 2013 revealed thatthe NSA can capture GSM traffic thats encrypted with the A5\/1 algorithm. <\/p>\n
NSA spokesperson Vanee Vines recently said in an e-mail that the NSA operates within the law. They add: <\/p>\n
Terrorists, weapons proliferators, and other foreign targets often rely on the same means of communication as ordinary people. In order to anticipate and understand evolving threats to our citizens and our allies, NSA works to identify and report on the communications of valid foreign targets, <\/p>\n
The new report claims that the NSA is spying on 70% of networks located mostly in the Middle East, China, and Northern Africa. It is also claimed that US mobile-based networks are not among the NSAs top priorities, although they have been accused of spying on US citizens. <\/p>\n
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