The National Security Agency is harvesting hundreds of millions of contact lists from personal e-mail and instant messaging accounts around the world, many of them belonging to Americans, according to senior intelligence officials and top-secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The collection program, which has not been disclosed before, intercepts e-mail address books and “buddy lists” from instant messaging services as they move across global data links. Online services often transmit those contacts when a user logs on, composes a message, or synchronizes a computer or mobile device with information stored on remote servers.
Rather than targeting individual users, the NSA is gathering contact lists in large numbers that amount to a sizable fraction of the world’s e-mail and instant messaging accounts.
SOURCE: washingtonpost.com
Most Commented Posts
2020 Cybersecurity Landscape: 100+ Experts’ Predictions
Cyber Security Predictions 2021: Experts’ Responses
Experts’ Responses: Cyber Security Predictions 2023
Data Privacy Protection Day (Thursday 28th) – Experts Comments
Experts Insight On US Pipeline Shut After Cyberattack
Most Active Commenters
Recent Comments
“Cybersecurity Awareness Month’s new evergreen theme "Secure Our World” is…
“Avoid storing data on personal devices: A crucial but often overlooked…
“I recommend a new nuance to passwords that isn’t often…
“In my role overseeing cloud environments and incident response, I'm…
“Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as a reminder to confront the…