Hi,

So does this mean that NSA let BND access its intercept backend?

I think no. But they provide soft- and hardware like XKS or Wealthycluster systems and selectors via NSA's European Technology Center (ETC) in Wiesbaden and the SUSLAG (NSA Special US Liaison Activity Germany) in the Mangfall barrack (Bad Aibling).

Or did this data come from a BND-intercept backend?

From own or cooperation "intercept backends" between NSA's FPA/SSO (+UKUSA 5Eyes, CIA) and BND-TA. In the Snowden docs are two projects: "Monkeyshoulder" (in Germany with NSA and GCHQ) and "Wharpdrive" (i think foreign countries, 2013 exposed and than terminated). Than there was "Eikonal" aka "Granat"/"Karat" (in Germany), "Glotaic" aka "Globe" (with CIA in Germany) and now we know about "Smaragd" (outside the EU) aside from nine additional blacked-out projects as seen in https://netzpolitik.org/2015/angezapfte-glasfasern-bnd-und-kanzleramt-versch....

-- Katana

Hi,

OK, thanks :) I haven't taken the time to read Snowden docs very carefully. So generally, I gather that NSA/CIA cooperates with friendly foreign agencies to establish intercepts.

Oh yes. The NSA has the Foreign Affairs Directorate (FAD) for that purpose or for the establishment and management of Foreign Partner Access (FPA) interception points/programms (for example RAMPART or WINDSTOP or SMARAGD), local Special US Liaison Activities (SUSLAs) like the one in Bad Aibling and Special US Liaison Offices (SUSLOs) for the communication.

And then they trade technology, data and results.

I think more or less. Besides the UKUSA 5-Eyes ring it is the question for foreign partner services in which ring they are and so how close the relationship is: 5Eyes, 9Eyes, 14Eyes (SIGINT Seniors Europe/SSEUR), SIGINT Seniors Pacific/SSPAC, 30Eyes or 41Eyes.

In part to circumvent laws preventing agencies from spying on citizens. Is that more or less accurate?

I would say yes. Intelligence rings are intelligence exchange rings and they are helping each other if laws preventing activities - one of the last examples was https://theintercept.com/2016/08/14/nsa-gcsb-prism-surveillance-fullman-fiji... - or the operator clicks the right box in his GUI to pretend that his action is compliant with the law ;) -- Katana

Humble contribution to BND story unfolding Pirate Party expressed doubts whether the BND can ever really be independent of the NSA http://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-pour-cash-into-mass-surveillance/a-19537549 Meanwhile German BND Intelligence gets into the recruiting game with their BND Reversing Challenge http://www.bnd.bund.de/DE/Karriere/Reversing_Challenge/Reversing_Challenge_n... J. /<3 https://t.co/i4TPeFitff On Wed, Sep 7, 2016 at 7:47 PM, Cecilia Tanaka wrote:

Wow! Thank you for the excellent explanations, Katana! <3

Tender kisses and hugs! <3

Ceci -- "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

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