NSA Reportedly Snoops Millions Of Text Messages With The Dishfire Program

NSA has been reportedly using SMS messaging to extract data on location, contact networks and credit card details of mobile users. British spies were given access by the NSA to search the collected “metadata”, information about the text messages but not the actual contents, of British citizens.

The Guardian and Channel 4 have reported that the program, codenamed Dishfire, collects every data it can from the handsets and sends it back to the NSA for processing. It works by collecting and analysing automated text messages such as missed call alerts or texts sent to inform users about international roaming charges. It is also said that the project can work out phone users’ credit card numbers using texts from banks.

“All of GCHQ’s work is carried out in accordance with the strict legal and policy framework which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate and that there is rigorous oversight,” the statement cited.

The statement is taken from an internal NSA presentation from 2011 on the Dishfire program and papers from the GCHQ facility. The report comes a day before US President Barack Obama is due to give a long-awaited speech proposing curbs on NSA phone and internet data dragnets exposed by fugitive intelligence contractor Snowden.

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