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Pakistan building digital espionage capacity to rival the US

MBilal106

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s intelligence agency sought to tap worldwide Internet traffic via underwater cables that would have given the country a digital espionage capacity to rival the US, according to a report by Privacy International.
:-):yahoo::pakistan::yahoo::-)
The report says the country’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency hired intermediary companies to acquire domestic spying toolkits from Western and Chinese firms for domestic surveillance.

It also claims the ISI sought access to tap data from three of the four “landing sites” that pass through the country’s port city of Karachi, effectively giving it access to Internet traffic worldwide.

akistan was in talks with a European company in 2013 to acquire the technology but it is not clear whether the deal went through – a fact the rights organisation said was troubling.
“These cables are going to route data through various countries and regions,” Matthew Rice, an advocacy officer for Privacy International, told AFP.

“Some will go from Europe to Africa and all the way to Southeast Asia. From my reading that’s an explicit attempt to look at what’s going on.”

Traffic from North America and regional rival India would also be routed via the cables, he said.

The report, based on what it called previously unpublished confidential documents, said the data collection sought in the ISI’s proposal “would rival some of the world’s most powerful surveillance programmes” including those of the United States and Britain.

A spokesman for Pakistan’s military said he was not able to comment on the issue at the present time.

Last month Pakistani rights campaigners and opposition lawmakers urged Islamabad to protect the privacy of its citizens after leaked top-secret documents appeared to show British intelligence had gained access to almost all the country’s Internet users.

The country is also in the process of debating its own cyber-crime bill, which rights campaigners say threatens to curtail freedom of expression and privacy in its current form.

Rights groups also expressed concern over a provision that allows the government to share intelligence with foreign spy agencies, such as the American National Security Agency, and the mandating of service providers to retain telephone and email records for up to a year.

Source: The Express Tribune
July 23, 2015

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آئی ایس آئی کا وہ منصوبہ جس نے امریکہ و برطانیہ کی نیندیں اڑادیں۔
پاکستان کی قوم کا سر فخر سے بلند کردیا۔​
:-):yahoo::pakistan::yahoo::-)
news50vf505fvvf.png
 
a smell of conspiracy.maybe they want to deprive us from internet now
 
If you are telling me, they are not doing this and they are 'building' it there is no way they are even close to India. Let alone the West, Russia or China.
 
If you are telling me, they are not doing this and they are 'building' it there is no way they are even close to India. Let alone the West, Russia or China.

if you noticed they didnt mention India in it, no one can match India...not for next 100 years
 
This paper is 3 year old ...... Who knows ISI already has the capability.... Data surveillance + drone .... God knows :)
 
@RazorMC @xyxmt

Think I came across as too abrasive. Apologies. The paper mentions that this capability will rival US. The contention is purely from that perspective.

Ability to intersect traffic is not something which is difficult. Now, it mentions you have landing stations. These can be used as listening posts too. Undersea tapping too has been done the US in the 70s. You can read about Ivy Bells.
 
First its all speculative. Second, from a technical point of view the original report mentions taps at entry/exit points of our undersea cables, which means only data entering and leaving Pakistan can be monitored, so it not a threat to anyother country. Finally, given our security situation I understand and support these efforts at the cost of my privacy, but there is nothing to cheer about here.

آئی ایس آئی کا وہ منصوبہ جس نے امریکہ و برطانیہ کی نیندیں اڑادیں۔
پاکستان کی قوم کا سر فخر سے بلند کردیا۔​
:-):yahoo::pakistan::yahoo::-)
 
First its all speculative. Second, from a technical point of view the original report mentions taps at entry/exit points of our undersea cables, which means only data entering and leaving Pakistan can be monitored, so it not a threat to anyother country. Finally, given our security situation I understand and support these efforts at the cost of my privacy, but there is nothing to cheer about here.

Not necessarily. Landing station can also act as boosting points. And if there is a connection which goes into Afghanistan and beyond it can be tapped too. Undersea tapping can be carried out on points before the 'splitting' of the cable.
 
We can't rival US in this field, but its a step too late but in right direction. We also need legislation against cyber crimes.



ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s intelligence agency sought to tap worldwide Internet traffic via underwater cables that would have given the country a digital espionage capacity to rival the US, according to a report by Privacy International.
:-):yahoo::pakistan::yahoo::-)
The report says the country’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency hired intermediary companies to acquire domestic spying toolkits from Western and Chinese firms for domestic surveillance.

It also claims the ISI sought access to tap data from three of the four “landing sites” that pass through the country’s port city of Karachi, effectively giving it access to Internet traffic worldwide.

akistan was in talks with a European company in 2013 to acquire the technology but it is not clear whether the deal went through – a fact the rights organisation said was troubling.
“These cables are going to route data through various countries and regions,” Matthew Rice, an advocacy officer for Privacy International, told AFP.

“Some will go from Europe to Africa and all the way to Southeast Asia. From my reading that’s an explicit attempt to look at what’s going on.”

Traffic from North America and regional rival India would also be routed via the cables, he said.

The report, based on what it called previously unpublished confidential documents, said the data collection sought in the ISI’s proposal “would rival some of the world’s most powerful surveillance programmes” including those of the United States and Britain.

A spokesman for Pakistan’s military said he was not able to comment on the issue at the present time.

Last month Pakistani rights campaigners and opposition lawmakers urged Islamabad to protect the privacy of its citizens after leaked top-secret documents appeared to show British intelligence had gained access to almost all the country’s Internet users.

The country is also in the process of debating its own cyber-crime bill, which rights campaigners say threatens to curtail freedom of expression and privacy in its current form.

Rights groups also expressed concern over a provision that allows the government to share intelligence with foreign spy agencies, such as the American National Security Agency, and the mandating of service providers to retain telephone and email records for up to a year.

Source: The Express Tribune
July 23, 2015

==============================================================================
آئی ایس آئی کا وہ منصوبہ جس نے امریکہ و برطانیہ کی نیندیں اڑادیں۔
پاکستان کی قوم کا سر فخر سے بلند کردیا۔​
 
This is a great Capability in fighting terrorism and also keeping the Indians under observation. Good job ISI.
 
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