THE NSA and GCHQ have been developing techniques to capture data from "leaky" smartphone apps such as Angry Birds, The Guardian reports.
The surveillance systems mop up information that is "pouring onto communications networks" from the new generation of iPhone and Android apps, documents leaked by Edward Snowden reveal. The information ranges from technical details – the make and model of a handset, for example – to personal data such as age, gender and location.
One of the apps captured by the NSA surveillance system even revealed users' sexual preferences, such as whether or not they were a 'swinger'.
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.
The Guardian says many smartphone owners will be unaware of the full extent this information is being shared across the internet. Even the most sophisticated users, it says, would be "unlikely to realise that all of it is available for the spy agencies to collect".
The New York Times describes the situation rather more bluntly. When a smartphone user opens Angry Birds and "starts slinging birds at chortling green pigs, spies could be lurking in the background to snatch data revealing the player's location, age, sex and other personal information, according to secret British intelligence documents," it says.
The excitement within the NSA and GCHQ at the possibility of harvesting information from apps is evident from the leaked documents the NYT says.
One briefing was given the "breathless" title 'Golden Nugget' by an NSA analyst, and iPhones and Android phones are described as "rich resources".
The 'Golden Nugget' document goes on to describe the intelligence that might be available if someone uploads a photograph taken on a smartphone to a social media site. The NSA analyst says it should be possible to obtain an image, details of the phone and "a host of other social working data as well as location".
The Guardian notes that, in practice, most major social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, "strip photos of identifying location metadata (known as EXIF data) before publication". But depending on when this is done during the uploading process, "such data may still, briefly, be available for collection by the agencies as it travels across the networks".
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
Earth's seasons have gone wackadoodleUnder the radar It may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
How much does it cost to move? Here's how to budget and save.the explainer Factors like move distance and the weight of your furnishings can affect the total cost — but there are several ways to economize
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacksspeed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
