Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Brazil Admits That It Spied On The US, Russia, Iran And Iraq

Image: The Brazilian Intelligence Agency's logo

Brazil Acknowledges Spying on Diplomatic Targets -- New York Times

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s government acknowledged on Monday that its top intelligence agency had spied on diplomatic targets from countries including the United States, Iran and Russia, putting Brazilian authorities in the uncomfortable position of defending their own surveillance practices after repeatedly criticizing American spying operations.

Brazil’s Institutional Security Cabinet, which oversees the nation’s intelligence activities, contended in a statement on Monday that the spying operations, involving relatively basic surveillance about a decade ago of diplomats and diplomatic properties in Brazil, were “in absolute compliance” with legislation governing such practices.

The statement came in response to a report in the newspaper Folha de São Paulo describing how the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, commonly known as Abin, had followed some diplomats from Russia and Iran by foot and by car, photographing their movements, while also monitoring a commercial property leased by the United States Embassy in Brasília, the capital.

Read more ....

Update: Brazil admits it spied on U.S. and other diplomats -- USA Today/AP

My Comment: Admittedly this spying was not of the scope and size of the NSA .... but it was (and is) still spying.

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