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An American law firm was monitored by the National Security Agency's Australian counterpart while it supplied legal advice to a foreign government in trade disputes with the United States, according to a document provided by N.S.A. whistleblower Edward Snowden, and reported in The New York Times Saturday.

As The New York Times reports:
The disclosure offers a rare glimpse of a specific instance in which Americans were ensnared by the eavesdroppers, and is of particular interest because lawyers in the United States with clients overseas have expressed growing concern that their confidential communications could be compromised by such surveillance.
The unnamed law firm had been hired by the government of Indonesia for help in trade talks, including ongoing conflicts with the U.S. The New York Times reports that the N.S.A.'s Australian counterpart, the Australian Signals Directorate, conducted surveillance of the communications between the firm and the Indonesian government and offered to share the information with the NSA.
It is unclear whether the NSA obtained any of the surveillance, but it did provide guidance to the Australian agency for its surveillance procedures.
The document notes that the Australian agency was "able to continue to cover the talks, providing highly useful intelligence for interested US customers."
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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 |
An American law firm was monitored by the National Security Agency's Australian counterpart while it supplied legal advice to a foreign government in trade disputes with the United States, according to a document provided by N.S.A. whistleblower Edward Snowden, and reported in The New York Times Saturday.

As The New York Times reports:
The disclosure offers a rare glimpse of a specific instance in which Americans were ensnared by the eavesdroppers, and is of particular interest because lawyers in the United States with clients overseas have expressed growing concern that their confidential communications could be compromised by such surveillance.
The unnamed law firm had been hired by the government of Indonesia for help in trade talks, including ongoing conflicts with the U.S. The New York Times reports that the N.S.A.'s Australian counterpart, the Australian Signals Directorate, conducted surveillance of the communications between the firm and the Indonesian government and offered to share the information with the NSA.
It is unclear whether the NSA obtained any of the surveillance, but it did provide guidance to the Australian agency for its surveillance procedures.
The document notes that the Australian agency was "able to continue to cover the talks, providing highly useful intelligence for interested US customers."
______________________
An American law firm was monitored by the National Security Agency's Australian counterpart while it supplied legal advice to a foreign government in trade disputes with the United States, according to a document provided by N.S.A. whistleblower Edward Snowden, and reported in The New York Times Saturday.

As The New York Times reports:
The disclosure offers a rare glimpse of a specific instance in which Americans were ensnared by the eavesdroppers, and is of particular interest because lawyers in the United States with clients overseas have expressed growing concern that their confidential communications could be compromised by such surveillance.
The unnamed law firm had been hired by the government of Indonesia for help in trade talks, including ongoing conflicts with the U.S. The New York Times reports that the N.S.A.'s Australian counterpart, the Australian Signals Directorate, conducted surveillance of the communications between the firm and the Indonesian government and offered to share the information with the NSA.
It is unclear whether the NSA obtained any of the surveillance, but it did provide guidance to the Australian agency for its surveillance procedures.
The document notes that the Australian agency was "able to continue to cover the talks, providing highly useful intelligence for interested US customers."
______________________