Allowing the Rest of the World to Speak Directly to Americans Promoting Peace, Diplomacy and Cross-Cultural Understanding
Nassau Guardian reacts to NSA mass spying
allegations,
citing comments by Foreign Minister Fred
Mitchell.
In Bahamas, NSA Finds Smugglers, Not Terrorists (The Nassau
Guardian, The Bahamas)
"The NSA documents state that access to Bahamian GSM communications has led to the discovery of international
narcotics traffickers and special-interest alien smugglers. ... Many have
questioned why the NSA, an intelligence agency focused on terrorism, is
interested in drugs and human smugglers in The Bahamas. The
Bahamas government was still awaiting a formal explanation from the United
States on the allegations."
By Travis
Cartwright-Carroll
May 30, 2014
The
Bahamas - The Nassau Guardian - Original Article (English)
Compared
to other periods outlined in confidential documents leaked by former NSA
analyst Edward Snowden, most of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) reporting
on The Bahamas took place in the four-month period leading up to the May 7,
2012 general elections.
The
information was gleaned from three
Special Source Operations slides detailing NSA intelligence reporting.
As
has been widely pointed out over the last week, the documents state that the
NSA is recording and archiving every cell phone conversation in The Bahamas for
periods up to 30 days.
The
first
slide shows the period between January 22, 2012 and April 28, 2012. During that
time, among the eight countries listed, The Bahamas was reported on the most.
The
documents do not reflect any reporting from The Bahamas prior to January 2012,
but it is unclear whether this means the program did not operate in this
island-nation ahead of that period.
The
second
slide covers the period December 2, 2012 through March 9, 2013, an reporting
from The Bahamas only appears once, the week of December 2. The final
slide provided is for the period between February 3, 2013 and April 27,
2013.
In
that slide, reports on The Bahamas are only listed between March 17, 2013 and
April 27, 2013.
While
the slides show heavy reporting in the four months leading up to the general
election, the documents don't explain why. In recent days, government ministers
have pointed to this, suggesting that pre-election reporting may mean that the administration
of Hubert Ingraham had knowledge of the program and had
an arrangement with the NSA to spy on Bahamians. Former Foreign Minister
Brent Symonette and former National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest
have denied any knowledge of spying.
The
NSA documents state that the secret program is "under the lawful intercept
auspices via DEA access" and adds, "Host countries are not aware of NSA's ... collection using these systems."
As
originally reported last week by U.S. Web site The Intercept , the documents show that the NSA is using a program
called SOMALGET to collect and store "full-take
audio" of every mobile phone call made in The Bahamas, and storing it for
up to 30 days.
According
to the documents, SOMALGET is part of a larger
program called MYSTIC .
Along with The Bahamas, code-named Basecoat, Mexico (Evening Easel), the
Philippines (Venator ), and Kenya (Duskpallet ),
among other countries, were also being reported on.
As
the information contained in the three slides is vague, it is hard to ascertain
the purpose of the reporting and what information was being shared. The
documents state that they are "SIGINT reports
per week from MYSTIC sites."
Posted By Worldmeets.US
According
to the NSA Web site , "SIGINT provides a vital window for our nation into foreign
adversaries' capabilities, actions, and intentions."
Why The Bahamas?
Other
than The Bahamas, Afghanistan is the only other country where every cell phone
conversation is being recording and archived, according to
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Part of an NSA slide
demonstrating SOMALGET's use as a method of
capturing 'narcotics
traffickers and special-interest alien smugglers'.
This shows again that use
of mass surveillance is expanding into more
regular police
activities, further endangering individual privacy.
[Click for
larger version and related documents]
The
NSA documents state that SOMALGET access to Bahamian GSM communications has led to the discovery of international
narcotics traffickers and special-interest alien smugglers.
Many
have questioned why the NSA, an intelligence agency focused on terrorism, is
interested in drugs and human smugglers in The Bahamas. Up to May 26, The
Bahamas government was still awaiting a formal explanation from the United
States on the allegations.
The
leaked documents state that The Bahamas is a "test bed for system
deployments, capabilities, and improvements."
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
NSA Spying on Bahamas
a Prelude to 'Blackmail'
And Who Invited The Americans To Take An Interest?
Is the National Intellgence Agency Linked to the NSA?
Foreign Minister Mitchell:
Recording Calls 'Clearly Illegal'
German Officials Face Prosecution for Reading Snowden Coverage
The 'Silent Scandal' Over NSA Manipulation of German Law
Will Facebook, Google Heed Snowden's Call on Encryption?
Question for New Republic: Who Cares What Snowden Thinks?
China Daily, China: The Self Defeating Charges of 'Cyber-Thief' America
Huanqiu, China: 'Demented' Hacking Charges Betray U.S. Scheme for Cyber Domination
Global Times, China: Internet 'Muckraking Frenzy' Damaging China's Global Interests
A Toothless NSA? Not Under Obama!
Merkel 'Outraged' She
Will Be Ignored by NSA
Berlin Says Americans 'Lied' About No Spy Deal
Actions Must Follow Obama's Words on NSA, Germans Say
Barack Obama's Missed Moment
Obama Seeks to Placate Germany over NSA
NSA Collects Millions of Text Messages Daily in 'Untargeted' Global Sweep
Snowden to Join Freedom of the Press Foundation Board
N.S.A. Devises Radio Path Into Computers - Even Offline China, Too, is Building Quantum Supercomputer
Don't Believe the Hype Over NSA's Quantum Computer
NSA Comment Doesn't Deny
Spying on U.S. Lawmakers
EFF Lawyer Kurt
Opsahl: All We
Know of NSA Spying
For Exposing U.S. Hypocrisy, Snowden Deserves Global Respect
Google, Facebook,
Mount 'Disingenuous' Anti-Spy Campaign
Snowden on How GCHQ
Monitors Germany, Israel, E.U. NSA Fallout - Brazil Snubs Boeing - Saab Wins Jet Deal
Data Brokers Won’t Even Tell Government how it Uses, Sells Your Data
NSA Review to Leave Spying Programs Largely Unchanged: Reports
'Mind Control' is Achieved in Post-Snowden United States
NSA Review to Leave Spying Programs Largely Unchanged: Reports
Under New Law, French Can Monitor Internet Users in Real Time
Australia Spy
Agency Offered to Share
Data on Australia Citizens Snowden Revelations Prompt U.N. Probe into Mass Surveillance
Guardian Editor Rusbridger Testifies on Snowden Files
Nations Should Quickly Heed Advice of Greenwald, Assange
Top Spy Refuses to Answer Queries on G20 Espionage
The National Post, Canada: No Reason for Canada to be Ashamed of Spying on OtherS
Globe & Mail, Canada: Don't Listen to Our Guests or Our Protesters
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany: U.S. Consulate General: U.S. Spy Center in Germany
Le Temps, Switzerland: Europe's Price for Trade Talks Must Be End to U.S. Impunity
Guardian, U.K.: NSA 'Collected Details of Online Sexual Activity' of Muslim Radicals
Tagesschau, Germany: Reports Expose America's 'Secret War' in Germany
News Switzerland: Swiss Asylum for Snowden Would Win Points with Berlin
ABC, Spain: German 'Snowden-Mania' Puts All Europe at Risk
Guardian, U.K.: New York Times Defends
Guardian's Snowden Leaks
Die Zeit, Germany: Germany Warns
U.S. Facilities Could be
Attacked Over NSA Anger
Okaz, Saudi Arabia: NSA Crisis Exposes American Dream as Counterfeit
Al Madina, Saudi Arabia: Spying Ruins 'Sanctity' of 'Holy' War on Terror
Izvestia, Russia: Moscow Tongues Wag Over 'Downfall' of U.S. Ambassador McFaul
de Volkskrant, Netherlands: Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Dutch 'Laundering' of NSA-Acquired Data
Al Madina, Saudi Arabia: Spying Ruins 'Sanctity' of 'Holy' War on Terror
Folha, Brazil: Shaming the NSA is First Step to Ending 'State of Nature'
Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland: John Kerry May Bring Happy NSA Surprise for Poles
Rzeczpospolita, Poland: Europe's 'NSA Envy'
Polityka, Poland: Allies or Enemies? American Intelligence Has Lost the Plot
Der Spiegel, Germany: Without Our Own Internet, We Have No Sovereignty
Der Spiegel, Germany: Et Tu, UK? Anger Grows over British Spying in Berlin
Der Spiegel, Germany: Germany's Quandary: The Debate over Asylum for Snowden
Der Spiegel, Germany: Free Press? Guardian Editor Laments 'Retrogressive' Government
Der Spiegel, Germany: Codependent: Merkel's Pragmatic Approach to the NSA Scandal
Der Spiegel, Germany: Merkel Spying: It's 'Unlikely' White House Didn't Know
Folha, Brazil: NSA Scandal No More than a Temporary Annoyance
O Globo, Brazil: U.S. Must Employ Famed 'Checks and Balances' on NSA
China Daily, China: American 'Anti-Terror' Spies Have No Place in China
NZZ, Switzerland: NSA and Germany: a 'Highly Toxic Outrage Cocktail'
Ryukyo Shimpo, Japan: Japan Must Safeguard Data from 'Superpower in Decline'
Japan Times, Japan: NSA asked Japan to Tap Regionwide Fiber-Optic Cables in 2011
La Jornada, Mexico: Human Rights, the NSA, and U.S. Moral Decline
Le Monde, France: After PRISM, E.U. Must Safeguard 'Emerging Global Consciousness'
Le Nouvel Observateur, France: NSA Snoops on France: 'Like Spying on Family'
Le Monde, France: 'How the NSA Spies on the French'
Le Monde, France: Fighting 'Big Brother'
Le Monde, France: NSA Wiretapped
French Diplomats in America
Le Monde, France: French Phone
Networks in NSA Crosshairs'
El Pais, Spain: NSA: For Europe, it's Better to be 'Heard than Ignored'
El Pais, Spain: Rather than Rajoy's Phone Calls, NSA Should Focus on JFK's Assassin!
El Pais, Spain: Conflicted Europe Must Defend Citizen Liberties
El Pais, Spain: Mass U.S. Monitoring of Innocent Non-Americans Must End
BNR Nieuwsradio, The Netherlands: The NSA Proves Dalai Lama Wrong
Dar Al-Hayat, Saudi Arabia: NSA, Drone Strikes, and Obama's 'Ethical Collapse'
Telegraph, U.K.: David Cameron 'Spies' Trouble
Der Spiegel, Germany: Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in Berlin
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany: Say it isn't so, NSA!
Guardian, U.K.: Spain Summons U.S.
Ambassador Over Claim
NSA Tracked Millions
Die Zeit, Germany: NSA Blackmail of Obama Himself is Not Far-Fetched
Trouw, The Netherlands: U.S. Spying? Don't Put Your Open Data in the Town Square!
La Jornada, Mexico: Latest NSA Leak Puts President Nieto's Credibility at Stake
de Volkskrant, The Netherlands: Snowden Exposes NSA Christmas Holiday Loophole!
O Globo, Brazil: NSA's 'Anti-Privacy Services' and NASA's 'Earth-Shaking
Guardian, U.K.: France Summons U.S. Envoy
Over NSA Surveillance Claims
Dep Speigel, Germany: Fresh Leak: NSA Accessed Mexican President's E-mail
La Jornada, Mexico: Nations Should Quickly Heed Advice of Greenwald, Assange
Guardian, U.K.: World Editors: 'What Guardian is Doing is Important for Democracy
Guardian, U.K.: Surveillance, Democracy, Transparency - Views from Across the Globe
Guardian, U.K.: EDITORIAL: Spies and Journalism: When Worlds Collide
Izvestia, Russia: Global Call to Arms Against 'American Exceptionalism'
Huanqiu, China: Letter By Vladimir Putin Exposes 'Exceptional' American Inequality
de Volkskrant, The Netherlands: Putin's Note to Americans a
Guilty Pleasure for World
Epoca, Brazil: America's 'Undemocratic' Surveillance is More Invasive than China's
Guardian, U.K.: Committee to Protect Journalists Issues Scathing
Report on Obama
Guardian, U.K.: NSA Reform Under
Threat by 'Business-as-Usual Brigade' - Wyden
Estadao, Brazil: Warning to Brazil Lawmakers Before Meeting with Snowden
Folha, Brazil: NSA's Great Power Challenge to Brazil
El Mundo, Spain: The U.N.'s Yearly Show Again Plays a Vital Role
Folha, Brazil: 'In His Heart,' Obama Knows Rousseff is Right about Spying
Opera Mundi, Brazil: Outraged Evo Morales Wants Obama Tried for 'Crimes Against Humanity'
Pagina Siete, Bolivia: U.S. Fears, Not Evil, Motivate Desperate Search for Snowden
El Nacional, Bolivia: Snowden: South America Must Take Stand Against Old Europe
El Universal, Venezuela: Maduro Uses Snowden Asylum to Distract Venezuelan People
El Nuevo Diario, Nicaragua: 'Imperial Nations' Mock International Law
El Nacional, Venezuela:
Bienvenido to Venezuela, Double Agent Snowden!
Hoy, Ecuador: Snowden Highlights Ecuador's Decision-Making Paradox
Folha, Brazil: Dilma Postpones Her U.S. State Visit; Saves Face for Both Sides
Epoca, Brazil: President Rousseff: Snowden Documents Show U.S. Economic Espionage
Epoca, Brazil: After NSA Scandal, Brazil Seeks Reduced U.S. Control Over Internet
Carta Maior, Brazil: Invasions of Privacy and the Tools of Terror Maintenance
O Globo, Brazil: Adjusting to Our 'Brave New World' of Liberty
O Globo, Brazil: NSA Targeted Latin American 'Trade Secrets'
O Globo, Brazil: Brazil 'Gravely Concerned' Over Massive NSA Espionage
O Globo, Brazil: Leading Brazilians Condemn U.S. Surveillance Against the Nation
O Globo, Brazil: President Rousseff's U.S. State Visit Imperiled By NSA Spying
Der Spiegel, Germany: 'Follow the Money': NSA Monitors Financial World
Guardian, U.K.: Edward Snowden 'Living Incognito in Russia'
BBC News, U.K.: Reporter Glenn Greenwald to Testify at Brazil Spy Probe
Der Spiegel, Germany: iSpy: How America's NSA
Accesses Smartphone Data
Estadao, Brazil: Explaining John Kerry's Shellacking in Brazil
Cuba Debate, Cuba: Castro: 'Who Was Paid to Lie' about Snowden Being Allowed in Cuba?
Jornal Do Brasil, Brazil: Chancellor Tells Kerry: 'Terminate' Spying on Brazilians
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Russia: The Prohibitive Global Price of Poor U.S.-Russia Relations
Der Spiegel, Germany: Codename 'Apalachee': How America Spies on Europe and the U.N.
Der Spiegel, Germany: Merkel Rival Calls
for Suspension of Trade Talks
Telegraph, U.K.: NSA Employees
Spied on their Lovers Using
Eavesdropping Program
Reuters, U.K.:
Close Cameron Aides Asked Paper to Destroy Snowden Data
People's Daily, China:
America Must Come to the Table on Surveillance
Guardian, U.K.:
Innocent have Nothing to Fear? After Miranda, We Know Where that Leads
Guardian, U.K.:
Groklaw Legal Site Shuts Over
Fears of NSA E-Mail Snooping
Guardian, U.K.:
'Sending a Message': What U.S. and U.K. are Attempting to Do
Guardian, U.K.:
U.S. Senators Warn NSA Privacy
Breaches Just 'Tip of the Iceberg'
Der Spiegel, Germany:
Merkel and the NSA: The Scandal That Will Not Die
Guardian, U.K.: Dangers All Reporters Now Face: David Miranda and Journalism
Guardian, U.K.: David Miranda's Detention a 'Betrayal
of Trust and Principle'
Guardian, U.K.: 'Attempt at Intimidation
Will Result in More Disclosures'
Savon Sanomat, Finland: Better For Finland that Obama Goes to Sweden
Yezhednevniy Zhurnal, Russia: Snowden: Kremlin Tool for Reducing U.S. Web Dominance
Huanqiu, China: 'United Global Front' Defeats America in Snowden Affair
Die Tageszeitung, Germany: Manning Trial: Superficial Justice to Save American Face
El Pais, Spain: Manning Verdict a Warning to Future 'Heroes of Transparency'
Izvestia, Russia:
Turning Mr. Snowden into a
Tool of Russian 'Soft Power'
De Morgan, Belgium:
U.S.-E.U. Meeting on NSA Surveillance a 'Sham'
Der Spiegel: Three PRISMS?
Parliament Seeks Clarity in
NSA Espionage Scandal
ABC, Spain: Fear of Vladivostok Escape for Snowden Drives U.S. Threats Against Venezuela
Moskovskij Komsomolets, Russia: Snowden: Putin's Perfect 'Anti-Magnitisky' Weapon
Gazeta, Russia: Chapman and Snowden in: 'The Ghost of Sheremetyevo'
Izvestia, Russia: South vs. North: Snowden's Place in History is Assured
Kommersant, Russia: Snowden's Presence May Scuttle Obama's Visit to Russia
Izvestia, Russia: 'Servile Europeans' Inflict Huge Insult on Bolivians
Wiener Zeitung, Austria: Edward Snowden is No Enemy of Our State!
La Stampa: Europe Will Rue Toppling Obama Over Snowden
The Hankyoreh, South Korea: What Hugo Chavez Would Say about U.S. Surveillance
Le Monde, France: French Big Brother is Watching You!
Guardian, U.K.: The NSA's Indiscriminate
Mass Spying on Brazilians
Le Monde, France: French Political Class Holds 'Outrage Contest' Over NSA Spying
DNA, France: Espionage ... From Washington, With Love
Liberation, France: The NSA 'Panopticon'
Der Standard, Austria: Mass NSA Surveillance Implies 'Bizarre Presumption of Guilt'
Guardian,U.K.: NSA/GCHQ
Metadata Reassurances are
'Breathtakingly Cynical'
Observer, U.K.: U.S. Attempts
to Block Edward Snowden
'Bolsters' Case for Asylum
Der Tagesspiegel, Germany: NSA: Merkel Ignores the Nightmare of 'Stasi Squared'
Der Spiegel: What's All the Fuss
About U.S. Spying?
Guardian, U.K.: Britain Blocks Crucial Espionage Talks between U.S. and Europe
Guardian, U.K.: France 'runs vast electronic spying operation using NSA-style Methods'
Guardian, U.K.: Venezuela and Nicaragua offer asylum to Edward Snowden
Elsevier, The Netherlands: Snowden's Revelations are of 'No Benefit to Society'
Der Spiegel, Germany: NSA Spying on Germany: How
Much Did Angela Merkel Know?
Der Spiegel, Germany Bolivia Irate
Over Forced Landing
Der Spiegel, Germany: Germany
Rejects Asylum for Snowden
News, Switzerland: Humanity's Cyber-Hypocrisy Overload
El Comercio, Ecuador: Wanting to Keep U.S. Trade Privileges is Not Treason!
Der Spiegel, Germany: Spying 'Out of Control': EU Official Questions Trade Negotiations
Der Spiegel, Germany: Growing Alarm: German Prosecutors To Review Allegations of U.S. Spying
Guardian, U.K.: New NSA Leaks Show how U.S. is Bugging its European Allies
Der Spiegel, Germany: Partner and Target: NSA Snoops on 500 Million German Data Connections
Diario de Noticias, Portugal: America 'Summons World' to Renewed Cold War
Guardian, U.K.: Ecuador Rejects U.S.
Trade Pact to Thwart
Snowden 'Blackmail'
Guardian, U.K: Glenn Greenwald
on Personal Side of Taking
on NSA - Personal Smears Guardian, U.K: How NSA
Continues to Harvest
Your Online Data
Guardian, U.K: Edward Snowden's
Next Step: Live Q&A
Gazeta, Russia: Why Russia, China, and Others,
Love 'Poking America in the Eye'
Guardian, U.K.: Snowden Affair Revives
Politics of the Cold War
Guardian, U.K.: 'History will be Kind'
to Edward Snowden
Guardian, U.K.: Latin America is ready to defy the US over Snowden and other issues
Guardian, U.K.: Putin Confirms Snowden in Moscow Airport; No Extradition
The New York Times, U.S.: China Said to Have Made Call to Let Leaker Depart
People's Daily, China: U.S. Internet Hypocrisy Creates Global Suspicion
Global Times, China: Internet 'Muckraking Frenzy' Damaging China's Global Interests
Huanqiu, China: 'Demented' Hacking Charges Betray U.S. Scheme for Cyber Domination
Guardian, U.K.: Snowden Leaves
Hong Kong for Moscow:
Seeks Asylum in Ecuador
Financial Times, U.K.: Snowden Fallout Impacts China and Russia
Russia Today, Russia: VIDEO: Former MI5 Agent Judges Snowden 'Canny'
Folha, Brazil: Trust in the State Inadequate
as a Pretext for NSA's Spying
Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace, France: Edward Snowden is Not the Issue
El Pais, Spain: Powerless, Europe Must
Nevertheless Stand Up
to NSA Spying Program
Global Times, China: Demonizing China Will Backfire on Americans
Global Times, China: Extraditing Snowden
Would Be a Mistake
Xinhua, China: 'Idealistic' Edward
Snowden Should be
Welcomed by China
Mediapart, France: 'Autonomous Machines':
World Reawakens to
U.S. Web Dominance
Guardian, U.K.: Britain's GCHQ Intercepted
Data from Foreign
Politicians at G20 Summits
Le Monde, France: French Lawmakers Scramble Over News of NSA Surveillance
Le Temps, Switzerland: Last Resort for Confronting 'Electronic Big Brother'
The Frontier Post, Pakistan: On Global Spying
for Selfish National Interest
Mediapart, France: The NSA is Spying on Us! What a Surprise!
El Espectador, Colombia: Please Consider Yourself Watched!
Le Monde, France: NSA Surveillance Storm Gathers Over Cloud Market
Folha, Brazil: Being 'Carioca' Helped Glenn Greenwald Break NSA Surveillance Story
Sol, Portugal: WikiLeaks and Facebook: What Came Before Will Soon Be Rubble
Guardian, U.K.: World Leaders Seek Answers on NSA Data Collection Programs
Guardian, U.K.: Artist Ai Weiwei: The U.S. is 'Behaving Like China'
Russia Today, Russia: Putin: Government Surveillance 'Should Not Break the Law'
Guardian, U.K.: Russia Offers to Consider Edward Snowden Asylum Request
Handelsblatt, Germany: Obama's Data Nightmare is Europe's
FAZ, Germany: Protect Us from Terrorism ... and Government Snooping
SCMP, Hong Kong: What Will Hong Kong do with Snowden? ... The World is Watching
SCMP, Hong Kong: Why Hong Kong? Chinese Wonder if Edward
Snowden is in Wrong Place
Suedostschweiz, Switzerland: Exposed: Spy Powers that Obama Shouldn't Use
Le Temps, Switzerland: Exploring the Limits of Sino-U.S. Compromise
Business Day, South Africa: Obama Sets 'Dubious
Example' on Freedom
Economist, U.K.: The Reason We Fear
Broad Surveillance
Guardian, U.K.: The NSA's
Secret Tool to Track
Global Surveillance Data
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
blog comments powered by
travis@nasguard.com
Posted By Worldmeets.US May 30, 2014 2:39am
Live Support
