There are chances that you might have thought of being watched by US government through Gmail, Facebook and other internet giants who are holding your sensitive and most private data.
The news is that all your fears were real, as a new secret document has proven the existence of a US government program that grants NSA (National Security Agency) and FBI the direct access to the servers of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Skype, Yahoo, Apple and other internet companies, from where they can extract any user information at their will.
Named as PRISM, the program was sanctioned by President Bush in 2007, which is now renewed again by President Obama in December 2012.
Under this program, tech giants gave the direct access to its servers to US government agencies, through which they can grab any information they want, without any hurdle.
The information that NSA can access may include your emails, chats, search history, images, videos, skype calls (even the content of skype calls), YouTube videos (even those which are private), files that are stored in your computer, call records of your smartphones, SMS, MMS, places you visit and much more.
Microsoft joined this program before anyone, followed by Yahoo and Google. Facebook, Skype, Youtube, AOL and Apple are also the program partners who have given the direct access and they can obtain information of any kind for any user who uses these services.
Dropbox is likely to be added in the list of partner companies soon.
PRISM enables US government agencies to reach directly into the servers of the participating companies and obtain both stored communications as well as perform real-time collection on targeted users.
Interestingly, US agencies call PRISM “one of the most valuable, unique and productive accesses for NSA”.
Another fact, which may worry our local “Privacy and Internet Freedom Activists” to a greater level is that Pakistan is second largest spying target of NSA, after Iran. Over 13.5 billion reports were gathered from Pakistan in March 2013 only.
Given the amount of data we share with these companies, including our personal and private information, this revelation is alarming and raise countless serious questions, concerning the morality of tech companies and US government.
Via Guardian
And whatever mechanism you try to use to hide from their snooping will also render your communication invisible to local snooping (ISI etc). So it will also be banned in Pakistan.
Notice how blackberry and other services were threatened to be blocked in GCC countries and India for example. All because the local governments could not “tap” the communications.
One question: Are you against NSA’s this act of spying on you?
What a strange question. Of course I am against it! Isn’t that obvious? Go back and read my old comments.
I repeatedly said “ban all you want but don’t watch my traffic.” I am ALSO against Pakistani government spying on me. Can you say the same? You support traffic filters and traffic filters ARE EXACTLY the place where they can spy on us.
I hate that people are being profile according to their data e.g. likeness, intelligence, religion etc, coz all of us are humans. Govt’s agencies reading someone personal stuff using facebook and email accounts is totally abusing someone digital human rights :)
thats why so many fake emails and profiles online.
This has been going on from a long time! its just the media shedding light on it now
whats new in that :/ :S
ager america ko hata kr china internet server bana le to :P
to phir China spy karega, simple; and I think “internet” is not “server”, internet is connecting with other interconnected servers.
china ko kisi cheez ka dar nahi to wo kyun spy kre ga?
har kisi ko apna dar hey (both internal & external) aur is spying ka hal yeh hey k Intl. services use karne ki bjaye, apni alternative services use ki jayen, aur users ko Intl. services use karne sey roka jaye, jese China, Russia etc mai hota hey.
well Pakistan 2nd number to nahi ho ga na :D
thats why i always encrypt my communications.
many country also doing this job as well.
Really? I don’t see https in the url up above. So anyone who is watching your traffic knows that you are reading and posting here. UNENCRYPTED.
iran built their own servers to get rid of these zionists
Stop lying.
u are mentally retard. u are happy with usa spying on u but have objection with ur own govt. grow up kid
Yahi to hmari generation ka almya hai Fakhre Alam. Too much freedom and information “are” harmful.
We as human beings are “promoted” naturally (Aging = Promotion) so that we can “learn and absorb” acc to our level of intelligence.
West is playing very smart I suppose. Give freedom to everyone as its harmful, make them addicted, spoil them (and yes, all information to everyone IS harmful acc to me. Anyone can differ with me. No issues at all.)
Funny, 1000 years ago when Western Europe was facing Dark Ages, where was innovation and science? In Muslim lands. How did that happen? Because Muslims had relative freedom compared to West. All those scientific and medical discoveries made my Muslims that we are proud of happened when we had Freedom from people who think like you.
Today, the opposite, and you are where you are, crying about their freedom. Where do Muslim scientists and thinkers go to succeed? To…the…West…
Anyone who believes that Iran’s way and China’s way is the right way should go live there. Period. Around the Muslim world, only Pakistan and Iran blocks Youtube, even Bangladesh unblocked it weeks ago and Afghanistan months ago. The rest? NEVER BLOCKED IT.
You are one of those GULLIBLE people that governments love. IGNORANT and GULLIBLE.
Iran didn’t build their mail servers to keep their traffic from going overseas. They built it so their citizens would be forced to use them AND they could monitor what the citizens say. That is why they also banned gmail: because they cannot see what their own citizens are writing on gmail. That is also why they tried to get fake SSL certificates for gmail.com, mail.google.com, etc. Famous hack by an Iranian “patriot” like you support.
In other words, Iran built a system for SPYING on their OWN citizens and you are so happy to promote the same idea here.
What
An
Ignorant
Person
You
Are.
Maybe you should move to Iran if you love being spied upon so much.
I am against anyone snooping on my traffic, no matter what government or company.
If you disagree, take down all the curtains from your windows.
In this regard we can’t do much, as facebook, google and others are their services which we have chosen to use. If possibly we raise the issue, they would say if you don’t want to be spied then make n use your own set of services. As long as they are having a check on servers in their own country we can’t do much about it.
Uncle Sam is watching you! munna
So is ISI. Who do you trust more?
How come ISI ? Are you trying to say that likes of Facebook, Google, etc have given access to ISI too; cuz there is no other way ISI can snoop on your ‘secure’ traffic.
Most of your traffic is not secure (over https). NSA is watching that. ISI is also watching that.
I am not surprised that this blog did not cover the news about Netsweeper.
other than these above mentioned networks social media giants, almost all the website are using social media plugins and Google Services.
All the website on internet are now using Google services like “Google AdSense” and “Google Analytics” which are tracking your each and every online move.
Just check the logo of the Prism. *Tri-angle*
And that “Tri-Angle” represent the Holo-cost. The followers of demon
You are 100% ignorant of reality. Have you NEVER EVER IN YOUR LIFE seen a prism? Amazing!
Google for it, you’ll see it on scientific sites. ISAAC NEWTON is not only responsible for idea of Gravity but also Colors leaving a prism. What will you say now, Isaac Newton is a demon follower who did holocaust???
Why to fear when Americans themselves know that nither close ties with Pakistan are benefical nor being its enemy. LOL! No matter how much proxy wars they initiate in Pakistan, Pakistan will continue to prosper and yes, China will standby Pakistan. This topic is of secondary importance, leave it, let’s appreciate the soothing reply of Chinese hackers that made Obama to shed tears!
Ha ha, What a useless thinker you are. Clearly a product of the Chinese-Pakistani friendship school system.
Who controls .com addresses? US
Who controls .net addresses? US
Who controls .org addresses? US
Who controls root nameservers? US
What does China control?
Edward Snowden is really a BRAVE guy who discloses all this stuff to the whole world. His interview can be read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-why
http://blog.gsmarena.com/viber-is-now-unavailable-in-saudi-arabia-due-to-failure-to-comply-with-regulations-skype-and-whatsapp-get-threatened-too/
A must read!
Please read the responses as well. And compare it with the comments on ProPakistani (https://propakistani.pk/2013/05/29/block-blasphemous-content-from-facebook-other-websites-in-three-days-phc/) upon banning Youtube.
Humain sirf aur sirf galyan deni ati hain. Fact!
And the “local” regulations they talk of are letting the Saudi Government listen to the conversations of their citizens made through Viber.
NOTHING ELSE.
They want the ability to spy on their own citizens and they will block any service that doesn’t let them.
Govt is your DADDY. I’m sharing ppls responses as well. They know it BUT their citizens are “accepting” this “spying”.
Jaisi awam, waisey leaders. If still you can’t notice the difference then again it comes to awam’s judgement.
And please don’t show your ego by saying “we are consumers, users, we have this right that right blah blah” Spying is being done at global level. Only your own private and secure network can save you and no one else. Of course you’ll need the help of same government you ppl bash upon.
Its soo easy to create trust deficit between citizens and the state thesedays.
1) Give freedom to citizens first and spoil them (introduce full-of-addiction social networks)
2) Of course the govt won’t allow this “freedom” and it’ll try to “block” these networks.
3) Viola! whole generation is at your service. A full lot of rebellions.
You are naiive if you think our local government does not want to spy on us. Please do not talk more until you learn more.
+1
Internet dude internet. Freedom of speech. Anyone can “talk about anything” even if he talks without knowledge and writes bullshit and crap etc etc You can’t stop such ppl. What can I do, its the advantage (or disadvantage) of internet. Bear with us. lol
Khair, I agree with you. But it’ll be better if I had to choose between two entities to allow spying i.e. Global vs local, I would go with local. Yes, I’ll allow my own govt. to spy on me and NOT sharing my data at global level.
Why? because of this lovvvvely internet. You can’t surf it in isolation. I can only rely on govt. to restrict my data from the world.
You have a stupid sense of responsibility of you depend on “government” to restrict your data.
What about your PERSONAL sense of responsility? Have you no self control? Then apply it TO YOURSELF? Why should anyone else have sites or traffic blocked because you cannot control yourself???
Lol, they will find nothing but some programming tutorials and porn in my history.
seriously, i feel unsafe now. They should have shown some respect towards our privacy. But after all, what can one expect from America.
Guys this is an alarm.. Please don’t get too much involved in Social Media specially Facebook. Don’t post your personal snaps, Location via Smartphone GPS. You can get in target easily.
Your post to this site was monitored. Just so you know.
mObile caLls ? :O Are yOu KiDDiNG mE ? :D wO KOnSe SV Se CoNneCt Hote hAN BhAi ? :D :D
DaJJAL ONE EYE
People have been imagining comming of djajjal for hundreds of years. Yawn.