News about the US intelligence agency using tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Apple, Yahoo, Facebook and more to spy on private information of users around the world continues to make rounds. The surveillance program, codenamed PRISM which provides the National Security Agency access to emails, web chats and other communications of users exposes US’s data mining activity. The act has shocked the world with many countries objecting the move.
India – The 5th most tracked country by the US intelligence
As per the latest reports, India is one of the top five countries, widely monitored by US intelligence services. According to Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the US National Security Agency collects 6.3 billion pieces of computer data from India each year.
The largest amount of data was gathered from Iran, with more than 14bn reports, followed by 13.5bn from Pakistan. Jordan with 12.7bn, Egypt fourth with 7.6bn and lastly, India fifth with 6.3bn as highlighted above. The United States collects data from countries what it refers as unfriendly countries. So, does this indicate that US’ relations with India have turned hostile?
Meanwhile, the Government of India has taken up the issue seriously. National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon met US Ambassador Nancy Powell and discussed the issue in length along with other bilateral matters.
So far, the official hasn’t been briefed about the details on internet snooping by US counterparts. However, it is conveyed that when the details will be available, it would be evaluated to check whether any Indian citizen’s rights and Indian privacy laws were violated or not.
It would be “unacceptable” if it is discovered that Indian laws on privacy have been violated by the surveillance launched on web users worldwide by US’s intelligence service, the National Security Agency (NSA), said Narayan in a statement, reports IBN.
I hope the US doesn’t think of India as hostile. I want to visit sometime!
Unacceptable? The US government doesn’t really care. We are spying on our own people, which we are investigating on the legalities of it now. Other countries are mad at the US, the US people are mad at the US government…. :/
Indians of every walk have always been kind and civil to me, both those in India and those here in the USA. This is why I object to PRISM-like surveillances by any government: Indians, USA residents, and just about any demographic are mass spied-on and impugned, while many actual bad guys (of late, Boston Marathon bombers and North Albany, Oregon’s “Bomber Boy” looking to emulate Columbine) “slip past” this Orwellian “intel against terror/crime”…it’s HOW such data is so blatantly used more like A.A. Zhdanov than Harry Callahan that I object to.
There are those people that don’t use the phone or internet to plan their attack. These kids that plan with a notebook… North Albany was scary because I went to school there as a kid. :/ A lot older now, but I know some of my old friends probably have kids in that school.
This surveillance will turn up a few things, but it will also not catch a whole lot of other things. For all that peeking into lives of people, it’s not worth it. Bad for relations on all sides. The foreign countries don’t like us doing it, the US people don’t like it done…. The only people that see ‘good’ in it are those running it.
I Agree, Dustin!
The US doesn’t have friends or hostiles, just interests. What the NSA has been doing to India is not very nice, hope you don’t have the courtesy returned to you on a platter. Enjoy your visit but I would, as an Indian, that you would visit someplace else. thanks
I look forward to your visiting India some day, Dustin. 🙂