Snowden: Canada spied on the Ministry of Mines

According to a report by "Fantástico," the Canadian Communications Security Agency (CSEC) tracked phone calls and emails from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with other countries; the cell phone of the former Brazilian ambassador to Canada, Paulo Cordeiro, was kept under surveillance; Minister Edison Lobão said the act deserves condemnation; He acknowledged that Canada has "an interest in Brazil, especially in the mineral sector"; "Whether this leads to espionage to serve certain groups' business interests, I cannot say"; in the morning, President Dilma Rousseff said on Twitter that Congress should vote in the coming weeks on the proposed Civil Framework for the Internet, a law to protect communications in Brazil.

October 07, 2013, 08:27 PMUpdated July 11, 2018, 11:33 pm

According to a report by "Fantástico," the Canadian Communications Security Agency (CSEC) tracked phone calls and emails from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with other countries; the cell phone of the former Brazilian ambassador to Canada, Paulo Cordeiro, was kept under surveillance; Minister Edison Lobão said the act deserves condemnation; He acknowledged that Canada has "an interest in Brazil, especially in the mineral sector"; "Whether this leads to espionage to serve certain groups for business purposes, I cannot say"; in the morning, President Dilma Rousseff said on Twitter that Congress should vote in the coming weeks on the proposed Civil Framework for the Internet, a law to protect communications in Brazil (Photo: Roberta Namour).

247 Brazil was also spied on by Canada. This is what new documents leaked by former NSA (National Security Agency) technician Edward Snowden and revealed this Sunday by the program Fantástico, on Rede Globo, indicate.

According to the documents, the Canadian Communications Security Agency (CSEC) used a computer program called Olympia, which mapped the ministry's telephone and computer communications, including emails. The goal is to discover contacts made with other agencies, both inside and outside Brazil, as well as companies like Petrobras and Eletrobras.

The method was the subject of a presentation given during a meeting of espionage analysts from five countries (USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) in June 2012. Snowden attended the 2012 meeting and handed the documents over to American journalist Glenn Greenwald.

Links were traced to Olade (Latin American Energy Organization), based in Ecuador, and email exchanges were found between computers at the ministry and those in countries in the Middle East, South Africa, and Canada.

The tool also identified cell phone numbers, SIM card registrations, and even the makes and models of the devices. One of them was that of the former Brazilian ambassador to Canada, currently in the Middle East department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Paulo Cordeiro.

On Friday (4), Minister Edison Lobão commented on the content of the report. Asked how he reacts to the documents, he said: "I think it constitutes a serious fact that deserves condemnation. Moreover, President Dilma has already done so extensively at the UN," he said. He acknowledged that Canada has "an interest in Brazil, especially in this mineral sector." "Whether this leads to an interest in espionage to serve certain groups for business purposes, I cannot say."

This Sunday morning, President Dilma Rousseff said on Twitter that Congress should vote in the coming weeks on the proposed Civil Framework for the Internet, a law to protect communications in Brazil, which, according to her, "will expand the protection of the privacy of Brazilians."

Read the article on the subject, published in Portal Brasil:

Dilma announces vote on new Civil Framework for the Internet.

According to the president, the project will guide Brazil's proposal at the UN.

President Dilma Rousseff announced this Sunday (6), on her personal Twitter account, that she sent a new version of the Marco Civil da Internet to the National Congress. According to the president, the vote should take place in the coming weeks and will expand the protection of the privacy of Brazilians.

The action is a response to allegations of US espionage against companies and citizens of the country. "I denounced the case at the UN in defense of human rights and our sovereignty. We demand explanations and changes in behavior from the Americans," he wrote.

According to the president, Brazil's proposal for an International Civil Framework will be the starting point for the proposal to be submitted to the UN. During her opening speech at the 68th United Nations General Assembly on September 24, Dilma defended the creation of global governance for the internet.

Arthur Zanetti

The president also congratulated, via Twitter, gymnast Arthur Zanetti, who won the gold medal in the rings event at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. "Zanetti is the first Brazilian to win a World Championship and an Olympic Games in the rings. It's quite an achievement!" Dilma celebrated.

Cristina Kirchner

Also on social media, Dilma wished the President of Argentina, who is recovering from a head injury, a speedy recovery. "My solidarity with Cristina Kirchner, who is on medical leave. Cristina is a friend of Brazil and my friend," she added.