List of ‘third party partners’ in US spying growing

Nine European countries have been added to the list of the US National Security Agency’s “third party partners” in its global spying programs, according to a new document.

The new document, which was obtained by Swedish TV, shows countries like Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands are helping Washington with its spying activities across the globe.

The other European accomplices of the NSA include France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Germany, and Norway.

The document, which was provided by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, shows the list of US spying partners is not limited to the five English-speaking countries known as the ‘Five Eyes’ club.

The ‘Five Eyes’ club is an intelligence sharing alliance including the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.

Leaked documents in November showed that the NSA spied on the G8 and G20 summits held in the Canadian city of Toronto in 2010, with the help of the host country’s government.

Other NSA documents have also revealed that Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) helped the NSA monitor phone calls and email communications of foreign leaders and diplomats at the 2009 G20 summit in London.

It was also made public in October that Washington has been secretly using Australian embassies throughout Asia to intercept phone calls and collect data across the continent.

According to the latest document obtained by Swedish TV, the ‘14 Eyes’ group of US spying partners send their agents to the US for training.

Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald, whose reporting of documents leaked by Snowden helped expose the scale of Washington’s spying activities, said before a European Commission committee on Wednesday that US spying “has nothing to do with terrorism and national security” and is all “about diplomatic manipulation and economic advantage.”