The latest document to emerge in the Edward Snowden scandal is a disturbing one.
The document revealed that the NSA has secretly succeeded in cracking most encryption much of the world’s population uses to keep personal information safe online.
The document shows that the NSA has been working alongside of the UK equivalent, Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ, to unscramble encoding that protects everything people do online including e-mails, personal banking, and medical records; breaking into medical records also violates HIPPA laws.
The most disturbing part of the document specifically mentions the NSA’s and the GCHQ’s targets.
The memo states,” GCHW has been working to find ways into the encrypted data sent via four big internet firms, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and Microsoft’s Hotmail.”
The reports show that the NSA worked to develop more covert ways of unscrambling online data after losing a public battle in the 1990’s to insert a government “back door” into all programming.
Mikko Hypponen, a security expert, believes that this document is the most important document released by Snowden to date.
“It may not have gained as many headlines as some of his other stories, because most people don’t understand how crypto systems work. If indeed U.S intelligence does indeed have such a wide range of systems, then I’m surprised,” he told CNN.
Crypto encryption is relevant to everyday applications that everyone uses, for example in communications and transactions, he said. “Now we learn that the foundation of web security has been compromised.”
Hypponen, the chief research officer for F-Secure, said he believes the NSA and GCHQ had probably cracked the encryption by having moles or spies apply for jobs in key companies at key locations. “Any major service provider must have sizable amounts of moles from intelligence agencies. Remember that the NSA has 35,000 people working for it,” he said.
Experts say Americans should be very concerned and outraged. Reports say that Americans need to make their voices known, urging, do not just sit back and hope the problem will go away.
Our chief in command defends the NSA. Last month in an interview Obama defended the NSA’s actions by saying,
“I am confident no one at the NSA is trying to abuse this program or listen in on people’s e-mail.”
The president chalked much of the concern with domestic snooping on changes in technology by placing the blame on our technology. Obama blames our technology for not having safeguards against the NSA.
“I think there are legitimate concerns that people have that technology is moving so quick”, Obama said. “What I recognize is that we’re going to have to continue to improve the safeguards and as technology moves forward, that means that we may be able to build technologies that give people more assurance.”
Experts say that Obama is showing no regard for the law by continuously defending the NSA and by allowing them to continue to violate American’s right to privacy.