Continued revelations from US whistle blower Edward Snowden underline that Sweden is one of the main partner countries of the British signals intelligence agency GCHQ.

The report is likely to prove embarrassing for governments including those of Germany and Spain, which had denounced earlier reports that the NSA was electronically spying on their citizens.

Unlike in the past, there probably will not be large protests at the upcoming Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, or at the subsequent World Trade Organization meeting of trade ministers in Bali. But that is not because these international institutions are perceived as effective and legitimate. It is because, compared to a decade ago, they are seen as too small and impotent in the face of larger market forces to bother about.

Entweder hat die Bundesregierung bewusst vertuscht oder die Dienste führen ein unkontrolliertes Eigenleben. Klar ist: Der Parlamentarische Untersuchungsausschuss muss kommen. Das Parlament muss aufklären, was die Bundesregierung nicht aufklären will oder kann. Die Herrschaft des Rechts muss durch das Parlament wieder hergestellt werden.

. In einer Anordnung zur „Beschränkung des Brief-, Post- und Fernmeldegeheimnisses“, die der deutsche Auslandsgeheimdienst an den Verband der deutschen Internetwirtschaft Eco geschickt habe, führe der BND 25 Internet Service Provider auf, von deren Leitungen er am Datenknotenpunkt DE-CIX in Frankfurt einige anzapfe. Betroffen seien auch die deutschen Internetprovider 1&1, Freenet, Strato AG, QSC, Lambdanet und Plusserver, heißt es in einem Bericht des Nachrichtenmagazins Der Spiegel.

The United States has never declared war on Yemen, and instead refers to the AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force) resolution of 14 September 2001 to justify their intervention in Yemen, despite the fact that the Yemeni government is considered an ally and does not represent a threat to the US. The AUMF sets out measures to combat those with ties of any kind to the attacks of 11 September 2001. This has been interpreted to include all those that are considered to be “associated forces” of al-Qaeda, although this phrase does not appear in the resolution itself.

Does this signify a change in administration policy with respect to the scope of authority it claims to possess under the 2001 AUMF? We don’t have enough information to answer that question, but it is certainly an important one. To the best of my knowledge, the administration has not yet taken the position that al Shabab collectively constitutes an “associated force” of al Qaeda that is engaged in hostilities against the United States or its allies, bringing it within the scope of the AUMF.

(01.November) Das US-Unternehmen Level 3 Communications “ist ein sogenannter Tier-1-Carrier und betreibt mehrere Backbones und vier transatlantische Verbindungen von Europa nach Nordamerika.” Im August vermuteten die Süddeutsche Zeitung und der NDR, dass Level 3 ebenso wie Vodafone und andere mit den Geheimdiensten kooperieren und ihnen Zugriff auf ihre Netzwerke gewährleisten.
Level 3 sitzt auch am Frankfurter Knotenpunkt und die Wahrscheinlichkeit ist sehr hoch, dass darüber auch die NSA und/oder GCHQ in unserem Netz sitzen und alles belauschen.