UK Government Admits Spying Using Google, Facebook, Twitter
- By Ginger Hill
- Jun 18, 2014
And, so the truth comes out after Charles Farr, Britian’s senior security professional, is forced to comment on a UK government surveillance policy that allows them to read, listen and analyze all communications on Facebook, Google, Twitter and other US-based platforms. Since the Edward Snowden leaks, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Britian has supposedly been intercepting and storing massive amounts of data in the form of emails and posts on social media sites.
Dubbed Tempora, the UK government’s spying program, has been justified because it deals with external communications, not internal. The technicality is that the data sent within the UK is actually sent to servers and data centers outside the country. The way UK law is written, a specific warrant is required to monitor internal communications, but external communications can be monitored randomly with a general warrant.
Farr’s comments are part of a 48-page document that thoroughly explains the Tempora surveillance program and clairfys the legal framework that defines “external” and “internal.”
About the Author
Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.