January 11, 2025 11:22 pm (IST)
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US snooping on BJP unacceptable: MEA
New Delhi, July 1 (IBNS): The Indian government on Tuesday said the United States' snooping on Indian political party-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is "totally unacceptable."
"It is extremely disconcerting that privacy laws in India are undermined whether it is individually or as organisation," Ministry of External Affairs Minister spokesprson Syed Akbaruddin.
"We have raised this issue with the concerned authorities in the United States both here as well as through our embassy in the US," he said.
He said if the matter is true then "It is totally unacceptable."
This comes after whistleblower Edward Snowden has revealed to The Washington Post that the United States has spied upon the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India and five other foreign political parties.
"Virtually no foreign government is off-limits for the National Security Agency, which has been authorized to intercept information “concerning” all but four countries, according to top-secret documents," The Washington Post reported.
The NSA reportedly spied upon six non-US political parties and another 193 foreign governments.
The law was approved by the US Attorney General and a copy of the surveillance report was also sent to US Vice President Joe Biden.
"The certification — approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and included among a set of documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden — lists 193 countries that would be of valid interest for U.S. intelligence," the newspaper reported.
The certification also permitted the US to gather intelligence about international organisations including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"The NSA is not necessarily targeting all the countries or organizations identified in the certification, the affidavits and an accompanying exhibit; it has only been given authority to do so. Still, the privacy implications are far-reaching, civil liberties advocates say, because of the wide spectrum of people who might be engaged in communication about foreign governments and entities and whose communications might be of interest to the United States," The Washington Post reported.
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