Also Norwegian email may be monitored by the United States - TV 2

Over 20 Norwegian municipalities listed by Swedish IT security company.

By Kjell Persen and Andreas H. Lunde

Email traffic to over 20 Norwegian municipalities of Alta in the north to the south vestby, can in principle be monitored by U.S. authorities.

reason is that these municipalities get ‘washed’ e-mails for their spam and malware via Google and Microsoft, which are monitored by the U.S. military intelligence organization, the National Security Agency (NSA).

TV2.no’ve got a list of Norwegian municipalities who use Swedish IT companies. These operators save either all of its data in the United States, or send their email via the country.

It was the journal Computer Sweden that Friday first mentioned that Swedish email may be monitored by the Americans. The information is seen as credible by IT experts Aftonbladet quotes, and Saturday was TV2.no access the list of Norwegian municipalities from Stefan Thelberg, head of IT security company Stay Secure.

These municipalities according Thelberg be exposed to American hacking: Overhalla, Alta, vestby, Frosta, Stjørdal, Selbuskogen, Balestrand, Steinkjer, Soerum, Carrollton, Tydal, Verran, Vik, Flatanger, Fosnes, Namdalseid, Namsos Narvik, Stowmarket, Meråker, Leikanger, Kvinnherad and Gran.

A spokesperson for the National Defence Radio institution (FRA), which operates with signal surveillance in Sweden, says that this form of “outsourcing” of data traffic is something they warn against the Swedish companies.

– Thus, it is possible to listen either to those who have such a law, or the authorities who are doing it. It should be borne in mind, for this is of course a problem for IT security, said FRA spokesman Fredrik Wallin according to Aftonbladet.

An Overview The Guardian published the Saturday night show that Norway are little susceptible to eavesdropping by the NSA, like our neighbors. The four countries which, according to the British newspaper tops the list, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt.

dismissive of Facebook CEO

revelations in American and British media that the NSA has agreements with major Internet giants in the world and has access to all the content through their servers, are rejected by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

– Facebook is not and has never been involved in any program that gives the United States or any other government direct access to our servers. We never received a request or court order from any authority which we are asked to give us metadata. If that were the case, we had fought aggressively against it, said Zuckerberg in a statement posted on the social media Friday night.

class=”articleInlineImage c10″> Data Center to the National Security Agency is located in a secluded area in Bluffdale, Utah. © Rick Bowmer / AP / Scanpix NTB

Want more transparency

He conjures simultaneously to more transparency in government hacking:

class=”articleInlineImage c11″> – NO LISTEN TO YOUR CALL: Two days after the news broke, assured U.S. President Barack Obama their citizens that they are not was illegally monitored. But he also emphasized that PRISM was approved by Congress. © NTB Scanpix

– We urges all governments to be more transparent when it comes to activities that will make people safe. It is the only way to protect everyone’s rights, while creating the safe and free society we all want us in the long run, says Facebook’s CEO.

According to the newspapers Washington Post and The Guardian, which this week revealed the contents of a top secret document, included companies in a secret program called PRISM, which allow NSA access including emails, instant chats, videos, photos, and shared files from all the users of the various online giants.

The nine companies mentioned in the document, Microsoft (Hotmail), Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Paltalk, YouTube, Skype, AOL and Apple.

class=”articleInlineImage c10″> ” NO SUCH AGENCY “: It took decades before the existence of the National Security Agency was known. This is an overview of the headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. © Saul Loeb / AFP / Scanpix NTB

According to the New York Times is probably the extent of this cooperation less extensive than first thought. The nine companies deny that the NSA has been given full access to all the data, but adds that abides by court orders that open to give out information.

class=”articleInlineImage c11″> Google and the NSA program PRISM (marked with red circle) is included so-called external intelligence interface for American military authorities. © Facsimile

Several high-ranking sources in the company said, however anonymously to the Guardian that they are surprised by the revelations, and that if this really happened, it’s behind the company’s back.

– U.S. authorities have no direct access, or a backdoor, the information stored in our data centers. We only provide the data to the authorities as required by law, said Google CEO Larry Page in a statement.

The military organization Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), which provides IT support for President Obama and the defense system, however, the lists Google as one of several digital remote interface that delivers intelligence. In a presentation by DISA command and control activities listed Google up right next to the NSA program PRISM.

class=”articleInlineImage c10″> An employee of Google in one of its data centers, where users’ emails, photos and other personal information is stored. © Connie Zhou / AP / Scanpix NTB

Media Developer and former journalist Anders Brenna says the magazine reporter that he fears Norwegians could end up in a similar situation, partly as a result of the introduction of the Data Retention Directive.

– Many people do not understand, or do not even think of that e-mails can be intercepted and that people can enter the lists, he says the journalist.

Brenna is still not afraid to use Gmail, which is Google’s email solution.

– I rely much more on Google than other email providers. What I do not trust the U.S. government. Google is råbra of security when it comes to personal information. But the company must follow the law when they get demands for disclosure of information. There lies the problem, says Brenna magazine.

In Britain, revelations about the top-secret surveillance program PRISM led to heated debate as to whether the partnership has been legal. Britain’s GCHQ, which controls the signal intelligence activities, according to The Guardian have posted 197 reports this year, based on collaboration with the U.S. NSA.

Several British politicians are calling for the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee is investigating the matter.

ALSO READ: Statements like this can give you the PST at the door

class=”articleInlineImage c10″> acronym GCHQ stands for Government Communications Headquarters, the British signals intelligence service. © Barry Batchelor / PA PHOTOS / NTB Scanpix

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