New Snowden docs show U.S. spied during G20 in Toronto

Surveillance during 2010 summit 'closely co-ordinated with Canadian partner' CSEC

Top secret documents retrieved by U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden show that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government allowed the largest American spy agency to conduct widespread surveillance in Canada during the 2010 G8 and G20 summits.

New Snowden docs show U.S. spied during G20 in Toronto

This is pretty big news seeing as it's (possibly) illegal for spying to happen in this case.

The secret NSA documents list all the main agenda items for the G20 in Toronto — international development, banking reform, countering trade protectionism, and so on — with the U.S. snooping agency promising to support "U.S. policy goals."

Whatever the intelligence goals of the NSA during the Toronto summit, international security experts question whether the NSA spying operation at the G20 in Toronto was even legal.

"If CSEC tasked NSA to conduct spying activities on Canadians within Canada that CSEC itself was not authorized to take, then I am comfortable saying that would be an unlawful undertaking by CSEC," says Craig Forcese, an expert in national security at University of Ottawa's faculty of law.

Apparently this is being exclusively disseminated by CBC - Canadas Nationalized News outlet.

The documents are being reported exclusively by CBC News.

The briefing notes, stamped "Top Secret," show the U.S. turned its Ottawa embassy into a security command post during a six-day spying operation by the National Security Agency while U.S. President Barack Obama and 25 other foreign heads of state were on Canadian soil in June of 2010.

The covert U.S. operation was no secret to Canadian authorities.

reply to post by boncho

What can I say, but...

It's going to get worse, I fear the revelations that are still to come may ignite an already burning fire in the hearts of many Americans.

That thought in and of itself is not so scary, a population demanding accountability from it's government en masse is almost completely one sided as history points out.

With that said, we will not have the support of the entire country because the government in anticipation of this happening is striking pre-emptively to divide the population in every way imaginable. It's basic warfare 101, divide and conquer except they are not employing it on a foreign battlefield, they are doing it in cities and towns, right here in America.

Many of us over around 30 can't believe the things we are seeing in America today, from the schools to the checkpoints, the spying and overreach. It's almost become too much to tackle at once and is almost like taking a direct hit to the jaw when you weren't expecting it.

Most Americans are blindsided by an ever changing government fully developing into an authoritarian regime faster than we have the time to discuss, unify and try to right the ship. Snowdens revelations will only confirm what some of us have feared is true for along time. The sunset of western freedom.

What will we do when more and more of the citizens of a once great nation become aware of the factual knowledge that we are no longer free and that every cog that turns and moves in America is in place to line the pockets of already rich corporations and individuals? This starts at the war on drugs to our for profit prison system to red light cameras, it stems from indoctrination in our elementary schools and lands in the lap of our veterans being labeled as terrorists.

Anyone that loves America and can see past their weekly paycheck must see the change, if not now, sometime soon and all any of us can hope is that time will come sooner than later or all of us, you Boncho and I, may never be able to have a discussion like this again and if you think that is dramatic, think again.

That is where we are ALL heading.

You really gotta question the mentality of people who just have to know everybody's business. I mean they really believe its their god given right to know the secrets of every person and organisation and government on the planet.

If anyone has got the formula to cold fusion, don't be silly enough to leave it on a computer.

Some d...s believe they have the right to commandeer it for their own gain and copyright it before you even know its been stolen off your hard drive.

reply to post by boncho


At what time was spying ever legal? That is my question.

Not only has the US govt spied on every country imaginable, they have also spied on their citizens, their neighbors and allies alike. So who is going to hold the US accountable? Who does this govt answer to? The UN? I doubt it. It seems that because the US tends to police the world, and also support the world by generously handing them taxpayer dollars, they have "immunity" from prosecution? That is what I am gathering here...

The day of reckoning may be coming, but too many people support the police state in its entirety because of the paycheck behind it. As long as people get paid, and believe they perpetually owe the system, they still follow orders...or the pack. Whichever seems like "the right thing to do". Of course, it doesn't help that the US has been following what seems like a strict doctrine of preparing the people slowly by starting in the public education system with its children.

When will we ever give it up? As long as the people with power and money control everything we personally desire or think we need, they have control. Until we let go, they are winning. As long as the people still build the very network this nation uses to spy on everyone and continues this trend, this will not lead to anything substantial. Rather, it will be deemed "necessary" to continue the fight against "terrorism".