OTTAWA: Canada allowed America’s National Security Agency to spy on G20 talks in Toronto in 2010 and at the G8 summit days earlier, according to documents cited by public broadcaster CBC.
The NSA briefing notes provided by Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who is now a fugitive in Russia, reportedly detail a six-day spying operation run out of the US embassy in Ottawa.
The documents say the monitoring — conducted while US President Barack Obama and 25 other foreign heads of government met on Canadian soil in June 2010 — was meant to “support US policy goals.”
The G20 summit in Toronto focused on how to rouse a global economic recovery and prevent another financial crisis. One proposal included a global tax on banks, an idea strongly opposed by both Washington and Ottawa, and which was eventually scratched.
G8 leaders met in Huntsville, 220km north of Toronto, before the G20 meeting took place.
The documents cited by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation say the spying operation was “closely coordinated with the Canadian partner,” the Communications Security Establishment Canada.
By law, the CSEC cannot target anyone in Canada without a warrant, and is prohibited by international agreement from getting the NSA to spy on its behalf in this country. A CSEC spokeswoman said that the agency “does not target Canadians anywhere or any person in Canada,” nor “ask our international partners to act in a way that circumvents Canadian laws”.
The official noted that CSEC activities are reviewed by an independent commissioner who for the past 16 years has reported that the agency “continues to act lawfully in the conduct of its activities.”
The CSEC however declined to comment on the operations or capabilities of Canada’s allies. Documents previously released by Snowden exposed spying on world leaders.
The Guardian newspaper has said Britain snooped on delegates of the Group of 20 during two gatherings in London in 2009, hoping to get an unfair advantage in negotiations or policy debates.
Meanwhile, the White House is nearing a decision on splitting up the eavesdropping National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, which conducts cyber warfare, a proposed reform prompted in part by revelations of NSA’s widespread snooping.
As part of the emerging plan, the NSA likely would get a civilian director for the first time in its 61-year history, sources said.
Both agencies are now headed by the same person, Army General Keith Alexander, who is retiring in March as NSA’s longest-serving director. While Alexander is highly regarded in the intelligence community, critics have questioned the current arrangement. They say it concentrates too much power in one individual and that the two agencies have different missions.
NSA monitors phone, email and other communications for national security threats. Cyber Command defends Pentagon and other US computer networks, infiltrates adversary networks and conducts offensive cyber warfare.
Two administration officials confirmed that the discussions about the split are nearing a critical stage. White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Obama has not made a final decision. One official said that it was possible a decision could come soon and could even be made public simultaneously with the results of White House reviews of NSA activities. Snowden gave media organisations highly classified documents describing electronic snooping by the agency and its British counterpart, Government Communications Headquarters GCHQ, that was far more extensive than previously known. He is in Russia where he was granted temporary asylum.
Since its inception in 1952, NSA has been led by a general or admiral, with a civilian deputy director. Under the emerging plan, the director would be a civilian and the head of Cyber Command, which is a US military command, would be a military officer.
Reuters reported last month that Vice Admiral Michael Rogers, commander of the US Navy’s 10th Fleet and the Navy’s top cyber warfare officer, was a leading candidate to be the next NSA director. Rogers is now more likely to take over US Cyber Command, individuals familiar with the matter said.
AFP/reuters
