5 Countries the US Has Spied On

With Edward Snowden’s leaks about the National Security Agency’s massive surveillance apparatus, several countries have had the rude awakening that the United States spies on their citizens. Surprise, surprise, they were not happy about it.

On Monday, the French government summoned the American ambassador to answer charges that the National Security Agency (NSA) had illegally intercepted tens of millions of calls made within its sovereign territory. France isn’t the only one who’s upset. Here are six countries or political bodies angry at America over its spy network:

1. France

According to Le Monde, the Snowden leak revealed that the United States recorded 70.3 million calls made within France in a one month period.  Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was “deeply shocked” and asserts that the spying had “no strategic justification.”  On Monday, the American ambassador has been summoned to answer the claims.

2. United Kingdom

According to the Guardian, the U.S. shared access to the PRISM surveillance network with the British spy agency GCHQ. The U.S. also reportedly paid GCHQ 100 million pounds over three years to spy on British phones for the NSA.

3. Brazil

O Globo has reported that the United States eavesdropped on phone calls and internet usage across the continent through Brazilian telecom companies and U.S. spy agencies. In Brazil, the major targets were businesses and frequent foreign visitors. President Dilma Rousseff has called the United States to explain its spying.

4. Mexico

According to O Globo, U.S. spying on Mexico related mostly to drug trafficking. Other sources report that government and business leaders have also been targeted. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has called for the United States to explain and justify its spy efforts.

5. China

Snowden asserted the United States had hacked the computer networks of several Chinese universities and phone companies, which gave them access to telephonic communications. China’s anger over American spying may be why China failed to arrest Snowden while he was in Hong Kong.

6. Bonus: The European Union

Der Spiegel reports that the NSA has spied on the EU by bugging the offices of EU representatives in Washington and by infiltrating the EU’s computer network. There were massive popular protests in response, especially in Germany.

PolicyMic

5 Countries the US Has Spied On