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The NSA Gathers Millions of Web Images, New Leaks Reveal

Alexandra GHEORGHE

June 02, 2014

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The NSA Gathers Millions of Web Images, New Leaks Reveal

The NSA Gathers Millions of Web Images, New Leaks RevealThe US National Security Agency is intercepting a massive volume of images to be used in facial recognition programs, according to the New York Times.

Newly released documents from former agency contractor Edward J. Snowden show that the agency has explored millions of images from people`s emails, text messages, videoconferences and other communication channels to identify targets and terrorist suspects.

According to 2011 documents, around 55,000 “facial recognition quality images” are collected daily.

“It`s not just the traditional communications we`re after: It`s taking a full-arsenal approach that digitally exploits the clues a target leaves behind in their regular activities on the net to compile biographic and biometric information” that can help “implement precision targeting,” a 2010 document reads.

Civil liberties advocates are concerned facial recognition can become invasive and threaten people`s privacy, especially since federal privacy laws and national surveillance laws don`t address the issue of facial images.

“We would not be doing our job if we didn`t seek ways to continuously improve the precision of signals intelligence activities ” aiming to counteract the efforts of valid foreign intelligence targets to disguise themselves or conceal plans to harm the United States and its allies,” said Vanee M. Vines, the agency`s spokeswoman.

The NSA did not clarify if it collects facial imagery from Facebook accounts and other social media networks through means other than communications intercepts. Newly disclosed documents suggest that it has considered getting access to iris scans through phone and email surveillance programs, such as Wellspring.

Documents show the agency has reinforced its facial recognition technology under the Obama administration, after uncovering two planned terrorist attacks.

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Alexandra GHEORGHE

Alexandra started writing about IT at the dawn of the decade - when an iPad was an eye-injury patch, we were minus Google+ and we all had Jobs.

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