Dilma was a direct target of US espionage.
A report by the Brazilian news program "Fantástico" revealed part of documents obtained by Glenn Greenwald from former NSA technician Edward Snowden. The agency, part of Barack Obama's administration, allegedly used a program capable of monitoring even the content of emails in order to "improve understanding of the communication methods and interlocutors of the president and her main advisors." Minister Paulo Bernardo (Communications) considered the case absurd: "This is wiretapping to gain an advantage in commercial and industrial negotiations." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the American ambassador to Brazil, Thomas Shannon, to explain himself. Brazil will also appeal to international bodies, such as the UN, to discuss the violation of the rights of Brazilian authorities and citizens.
247 President Dilma Rousseff was also a target of espionage carried out by the NSA (National Security Agency of the United States), in the scheme denounced by former technician Edward Snowden.
The information was shown on "Fantástico" yesterday. The report is based on documents that journalist Glenn Greenwald allegedly obtained from Snowden in the first week of June in Hong Kong.
In the document, dated June 2012, the NSA had two targets: the president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, then the leading candidate in the presidential polls, and the president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff.
Regarding Brazil, the communication between Dilma and her advisors was monitored, as well as the communication between the advisors themselves and with third parties.
The objective of the operation would be to "improve understanding of the communication methods and interlocutors of the president and her main advisors."
In the case of Peña Nieto, excerpts of messages exchanged by the then-candidate are presented.
According to the report, the final page of the presentation concludes that the NSA's espionage method is "a simple and efficient filtering process that allows for obtaining data that is not otherwise available and that can be repeated."
In response to the publicly revealed incident, Dilma met yesterday with the Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardoso. Today he will give a press conference alongside Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo (Foreign Affairs) to discuss the matter.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the American ambassador to Brazil, Thomas Shannon, to provide further clarifications, will demand formal explanations from the United States government, and will also appeal to international bodies, such as the UN, to discuss the violation of the rights of Brazilian authorities and citizens.
Minister Paulo Bernardo (Communications) considered the espionage "complete nonsense." According to him, "it has nothing to do with national security [of the USA]. This is wiretapping to gain an advantage in commercial and industrial negotiations," the minister stated.