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N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

nytimes.com

41–50 of 122 posts

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#42

They spied on UNICEF? Really? Why?

Let's assume you wanted to send money to help terrorists in Somalia. What better way then funneling it through a charity that already has boots on the ground? Or at least I could see a paranoid person at the NSA coming up with such a theory.

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#43
post #7

The best bit here is right in the first paragraph: "and a European Union official involved in antitrust battles with American technology businesses." Spying on foreign governments because you think they might present a threat to you in terms of war/foreign policy is generally defensible (although many on here would disagree with that), while using the apparatus of the state to support select private enterprise throug…

The US has really dropped the ball here. We, here in Germany, have a mainstream political party whose leaders are blindly americophile. The last and current government are dominated by that party. From the beginning of the crisis, these people loudly blamed the victim, accusing NSA-critics of anti-americanism and telling us that "the NSA discussion is over". Then, with time, the industrial espionage stories started t…

> Turns out, there are quite a few instances where German companies had their trade secrets stolen by FRENCH [1] intelligence agencies, which in turn gave those secrets to FRENCH competitors.

Fixed that for you. Please produce the articles about US companies benefiting from economic espionage.

[1] http://www.france24.com/en/20110104-france-industrial-espion...

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#44
post #19

Gentle reminder: Google willingly co-operated with the NSA and provided direct access to their systems: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-... We can affect change by boycotting the services of Google and other tech giants. We all know that the Senate only listens to rich Corporate lobbyists rather than citizens.

Of course that article was back in June, and if you read the followup, a day later, written by yours truly, you'll see your assertion is untrue: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57588337-38/no-evidence-of...

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#45
post #19

Gentle reminder: Google willingly co-operated with the NSA and provided direct access to their systems: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-... We can affect change by boycotting the services of Google and other tech giants. We all know that the Senate only listens to rich Corporate lobbyists rather than citizens.

i thought it was determined that the access was obtained by tapping unencrypted interlinks between datacenters? can you provide citations of the 'willingness' part of this?

No, because the allegation is untrue.

In fact Google was challenging the legality of FedGov national security letters in two different courts (my article in May was the first to disclose this) even before the Snowden documents began to appear.

edit: here's the link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57587005-38/

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#46
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Snowden revealed NSA hacked into Petrobras ahead of an important oilfield auction. The only use for that information would be setting bids. It's no small thing. Bids with insider information could cost Brasil tens of billions of dollars.

Canadian spy agency was also found to be spying on the Brazil mining ministry. Canadian mining companies would clearly have an advantage in bidding for mining rights in that country if they knew what the mining ministry was up to.

Back in the 80s and 90s the Canadian government frequently used ECHELON to help the Canadian Wheat Board win contracts. So this sort of thing isn't new.

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#47
post #7

The best bit here is right in the first paragraph: "and a European Union official involved in antitrust battles with American technology businesses." Spying on foreign governments because you think they might present a threat to you in terms of war/foreign policy is generally defensible (although many on here would disagree with that), while using the apparatus of the state to support select private enterprise throug…

The US has really dropped the ball here. We, here in Germany, have a mainstream political party whose leaders are blindly americophile. The last and current government are dominated by that party. From the beginning of the crisis, these people loudly blamed the victim, accusing NSA-critics of anti-americanism and telling us that "the NSA discussion is over". Then, with time, the industrial espionage stories started t…

I am awaiting the revelation that Boeing was privy to Airbus secrets. If forthcoming, that would be a bombshell.

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#48
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Snowden revealed NSA hacked into Petrobras ahead of an important oilfield auction. The only use for that information would be setting bids. It's no small thing. Bids with insider information could cost Brasil tens of billions of dollars.

Is there any evidence that the NSA distributes any proprietary information about Petrobras or other foreign industries? How would the NSA choose which US company would receive the information? A lottery?

Probably whoever's CEO is a fellow member of Skull & Bones.

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#49
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the last 20 years several American tech companies have grown huge with very little challenge from European antitrust or tax authorities. Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Apple, Amazon, Intel, Microsoft... Rules regarding abuse of dominant position could have been applied much stricter. Some of these companies have 90-something percent market share on several of the geographic and product markets they operate in. But no…

What did all of that have to do with the NSA? How would US espionage force the EU from prosecuting or legislating against these companies?

[deleted]

Re: N.S.A. Dragnet Included Allies, Aid Groups and Business Elite

#50
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That could be a side effect of tapping into a network hub or something. Does Petrobas have any ties to organized crime? I dont see where it says they passed that info to American companies. Please dont think I am downplaying this I am just trying to understand why. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/09/nsa-spying-braz...

It's funny how you peg the Chinese industrial spying as very clear-cut and obviously malevolent, but grasp at straws to justify the Pertobas spying as somehow motivated by good-guy American trying to bust some organized crime ring.

Show me the slides I want to see the evidence myself. All I am seeing now is the words of various reporters.

I am trying to grasp at something that would justify it. Its beyond belief that they are actually doing this. Who's the good guys in this world or are the "people" the only good guys left?

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