Tuesday, November 04, 2014

UK Telegraph: Britain's spy chief says US tech firms aid terrorism



UK Telegraph: Britain's spy chief says US tech firms aid terrorism
New GCHQ director Robert Hannigan accuses some Silicon Valley companies of becoming 'the command and control networks of choice' for terrorists 
Technology giants such as Facebook and Twitter have become "the command and control networks of choice" for terrorists and criminals but are "in denial" about the scale of the problem, the new head of GCHQ has said. 
Robert Hannigan said that Isil terrorists in Syria and Iraq have "embraced the web" and are using it to intimidate people and inspire "would-be jihadis" from all over the world to join them. 
He urged the companies to work more closely with the security services, arguing that it is time for them to confront "some uncomfortable truths" and that privacy is not an "absolute right". 
He suggested that unless US technology companies co-operate, new laws will be needed to ensure that intelligence agencies are able to track and pursue terrorists. 
His comments represent some of the most outspoken criticism yet of US technology giants by the security services, and come amid growing tensions following leaks by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
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Surveillance conducted under EO 12333 is implemented almost entirely by the executive branch, without review by Congress or the courts.
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The head of GCHQ, the UK's equivalent of the NSA, says that the Edward Snowden leaks have helped terrorist organizations such as ISIS who have taken to the web to spread propaganda.

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