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As The Guardian reports, the news is "the first explicit confirmation that UK citizens have been caught up in US mass surveillance programs."
According to the leaks provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, in 2007 NSA rules were changed following an agreement with the GCHQ, allowing the NSA agency to collect "British citizens' mobile phone and fax numbers, emails and IP addresses swept up by its dragnet," the Guardian reports--data that had been previously been protected and "stripped out of NSA databases" by the GHCQ.
The UK paper reports:
An NSA memo describes how in 2007 an agreement was reached that allowed the agency to "unmask" and hold on to personal data about Britons that had previously been off limits.
The memo, published in a joint investigation by the Guardian and Britain's Channel 4 News, says the material is being put in databases where it can be made available to other members of the US intelligence and military community.
Britain and the US are the main two partners in the 'Five-Eyes' intelligence-sharing alliance, which also includes Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Until now, it had been generally understood that the citizens of each country were protected from surveillance by any of the others.
The report also reveals a leaked draft derective from 2005 wherein the NSA drafted policies that would allow its staff to spy on citizens in countries included in the "Five-Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance--including the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada--despite instances where the partner countries had denied permission to do so.
It was unclear at the time of reporting whether or not this draft policy has become official. A spokeswoman for the NSA declined to answer questions from The Guardian.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

As The Guardian reports, the news is "the first explicit confirmation that UK citizens have been caught up in US mass surveillance programs."
According to the leaks provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, in 2007 NSA rules were changed following an agreement with the GCHQ, allowing the NSA agency to collect "British citizens' mobile phone and fax numbers, emails and IP addresses swept up by its dragnet," the Guardian reports--data that had been previously been protected and "stripped out of NSA databases" by the GHCQ.
The UK paper reports:
An NSA memo describes how in 2007 an agreement was reached that allowed the agency to "unmask" and hold on to personal data about Britons that had previously been off limits.
The memo, published in a joint investigation by the Guardian and Britain's Channel 4 News, says the material is being put in databases where it can be made available to other members of the US intelligence and military community.
Britain and the US are the main two partners in the 'Five-Eyes' intelligence-sharing alliance, which also includes Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Until now, it had been generally understood that the citizens of each country were protected from surveillance by any of the others.
The report also reveals a leaked draft derective from 2005 wherein the NSA drafted policies that would allow its staff to spy on citizens in countries included in the "Five-Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance--including the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada--despite instances where the partner countries had denied permission to do so.
It was unclear at the time of reporting whether or not this draft policy has become official. A spokeswoman for the NSA declined to answer questions from The Guardian.
_______________________

As The Guardian reports, the news is "the first explicit confirmation that UK citizens have been caught up in US mass surveillance programs."
According to the leaks provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, in 2007 NSA rules were changed following an agreement with the GCHQ, allowing the NSA agency to collect "British citizens' mobile phone and fax numbers, emails and IP addresses swept up by its dragnet," the Guardian reports--data that had been previously been protected and "stripped out of NSA databases" by the GHCQ.
The UK paper reports:
An NSA memo describes how in 2007 an agreement was reached that allowed the agency to "unmask" and hold on to personal data about Britons that had previously been off limits.
The memo, published in a joint investigation by the Guardian and Britain's Channel 4 News, says the material is being put in databases where it can be made available to other members of the US intelligence and military community.
Britain and the US are the main two partners in the 'Five-Eyes' intelligence-sharing alliance, which also includes Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Until now, it had been generally understood that the citizens of each country were protected from surveillance by any of the others.
The report also reveals a leaked draft derective from 2005 wherein the NSA drafted policies that would allow its staff to spy on citizens in countries included in the "Five-Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance--including the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada--despite instances where the partner countries had denied permission to do so.
It was unclear at the time of reporting whether or not this draft policy has become official. A spokeswoman for the NSA declined to answer questions from The Guardian.
_______________________