The NSA Hacked the Email of the Former Mexican President, Recorded 70M French Phone Calls

If you're a neighbor to the U.S., it's pretty much a given you're being spied on.

Image via Reuters

Friend, neighbor, or foe, the NSA will find you, and they will hack you.

NSA leaker Edward Snowden released new documents that reveal the NSA hacked into the email of Jose Calderón, the former president of Mexico, while he was still in office. The operation was called "Flatliquid," (probably because they're too busy spying on so many countries that they ran out of cooler names) and used a vulnerability in a mail server in order to gain access to the account. Even though Calderón was praised for his close work with the United States, more than any other Mexican president before him, and working with the country in attempts to slow drug trafficking, he couldn't escape the long arm of the NSA. And that's not the last of it: Just last month, it was revealed by Snowden that the U.S. had spied on Enrique Peña Nieto, the current Mexican president who took office after Calderón, even when he was just a candidate for the office.

"In a relationship between neighbours and partners, there is no place for the alleged practices," a statement from the Mexican government said. It wouldn't be surprising if these recent revelations hurt America's relationship with Mexico, or any other close ally for that matter—because it seems like the American government feels it is in its authority to spy on any country it feels may be a threat, even if that country has an established relationship with them. If you spy on your allies, where are the limits?

Also, it seems as if the NSA has also been recording 70.3 million French phone calls in just over 30 days, and France has just summoned the American ambassador to answer questions about the spying. This isn't going to get any better, people.

[via BBC]

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