Spies 'undermining' efforts to monitor dark web
While some at GCHQ and the NSA try to crack encrypted networks, others may be undoing their work
British and American intelligence agents are undermining their colleagues' efforts to monitor and control the so-called "dark web" – a hidden zone of the internet where activities and identities are concealed – according to the developer of software designed to allow people to browse anonymously
Andrew Lewman, the Tor Project's executive director, says he believes NSA and GCHQ agents have told his software engineers about flaws they uncovered in the program's code.
By doing so, they have given his team the opportunity to patch the cracks and maintain the anonymity of the network, Lewman said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"There are plenty of people in both organisations who can anonymously leak data to us to say maybe you should look here, maybe you should look at this to fix this," Lewman said in an interview with the BBC. "And they have."
The Tor browser was originally designed by the US Naval Research Laboratory, and still receives funding from the US State Department. It is used by military, activists and some businesses to browse the internet confidentially. But it has also been used for illegal activities such as buying and selling drugs, trafficking illegal pornography and trading child abuse images.
Lewman said he receives anonymous messages about problems with the browser's code on "probably a monthly" basis, but cannot prove that they came from the NSA or GCHQ.
"It's a hunch," he said. "Obviously we are not going to ask for any details… [But] the fact that we take a completely anonymous bug report allows them to report to us safely."
He added: "It's sort of funny because it also came out that GCHQ heavily relies on Tor working to be able to do a lot of their operations.
"So, you can imagine one part of GCHQ is trying to break Tor, the other part is trying to make sure it's not broken because they're relying on it to do their work."
GCHQ responded to the allegations by saying: "It is long-standing policy that we do not comment on intelligence matters. Furthermore, all of GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Trump on cusp of victory'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Antarctica: is coldest continent heading for chaos?
In the Spotlight China and Russia signal new scramble for control of the resource-rich region
By The Week UK Published
-
Will the Budget kill off entrepreneurship?
The Explainer James Dyson warns that fiscal changes could harm small businesses
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
How cybercriminals are hacking into the heart of the US economy
Speed Read Ransomware attacks have become a global epidemic, with more than $18.6bn paid in ransoms in 2020
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Language-learning apps speak the right lingo for UK subscribers
Speed Read Locked-down Brits turn to online lessons as a new hobby and way to upskill
By Mike Starling Published
-
Brexit-hobbled Britain ‘still tech powerhouse of Europe’
Speed Read New research shows that UK start-ups have won more funding than France and Germany combined over past year
By Mike Starling Published
-
Playing Cupid during Covid: Tinder reveals Britain’s top chat-up lines of the year
Speed Read Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Dominic Cummings among most talked-about celebs on the dating app
By Joe Evans Last updated
-
Brits sending one less email a day would cut carbon emissions by 16,000 tonnes
Speed Read UK research suggests unnecessary online chatter increases climate change
By Joe Evans Published
-
Reach for the Moon: Nokia and Nasa to build 4G lunar network
Speed Read Deal is part of the US space agency’s plan to establish human settlements on the lunar surface
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
iPhone 12 launch: what we learned from the Apple ‘Hi, Speed’ event
Speed Read Tech giant unveils new 5G smartphone line-up
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Russian agency behind US election meddling ‘created fake left-wing news site’
Speed Read Facebook says real reporters were hired by fake editors to write about US corruption
By Holden Frith Published