The National Security Agency paid millions of dollars to cover the costs of major internet companies involved in the Prism surveillance program after a court ruled that some of the agency’s activities were unconstitutional, according to top-secret material passed to the Guardian. [1]
The information provided by Edward Snowden highlights the problems that the major tech companies have created for themselves, while being in bed with the NSA. It is to be understood that there’s a financial relationship with the NSA and the tech giants. These companies mostly deny any relationship with the intelligence agency, yet the evidence seems to prove otherwise.
And you thought it was bad enough that a U.S. Postal Service program was designed to “photograph the exterior of every piece of paper mail that is processed in the United States”? [2] This is yesterday’s news.
Parlez-vous français? In light of PRISM, a mass electronic surveillance data mining program launched by the NSA [3], we would like to focus on that supercomputer in Paris, on Boulevard Mortier. The General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) is France’s version of intelligence.
Yes, France has a supercomputer in the city of Paris.
Various tasks and roles are generally appointed to the DGSE:
Intelligence gathering:
HUMINT, through formal agents and voluntary correspondents
SIGINT, through networks such as Frenchelon
Space imagery analysis
Support for HUMINT.
Special operations, with the help of the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment. [4]
“Frenchelon is the nickname given to French signal intelligence system in reference to its Anglo-American counterpart ECHELON.” [5]
To examine the size of the NSA as compared to its French counterpart, a blogger shared the following information: “The budget of the NSA is classified, but it is estimated that it receives 10 to 15 billion per year, or 25 times the DGSE. NSA employ 40,000 people, including 32,000 for SIGINT, while the DGSE employs only 4,750, including 1,100 in its technical direction.” [6]
International spying is nothing new with the NSA. “The U.S. National Security Agency spied on and intercepted the phone calls of Princess Diana right until she died in a Paris car crash with Dodi Fayed in 1997. The NSA currently holds 1,056 pages of classified information about Princess Diana, which has been classified as top secret “because their disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.” [7]
“The DGSE collects billions of billions of units of data, which are compressed and stored on three floors in the basement of the DGSE headquarters on Boulevard Mortier in Paris.” [8]
What will they think of next? Maybe to spy on you through your TV? [9]
Sources:
1. NSA paid millions to cover Prism compliance costs for tech companies — Guardian
2. U.S. Postal Service Is Logging All Mail For Law Enforcement — Outside The Beltway
3. PRISM — Wikipedia
4. Directorate-General for External Security — Wikipedia
5. Frenchelon — Wikipedia
6. La DGSE a le « droit » d’espionner ton Wi-Fi, ton GSM et ton GPS aussi — Bug Brother
7. NSA Admits to Spying on Princess Diana — Washington Post
8. In English : Revelations on the French Big Brother — Le Monde
9. The CIA wants to spy on you through your TV: Agency director says it will ‘transform’ surveillance — Daily Mail
