Advertisement

  1. National

US & UK spies 'able to access personal data via phone apps'

US and British intelligence agencies are able to gain access to personal data from smartphone apps including Angry Birds and social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube, according to documents taken by ex-US spy contractor Edward Snowden.

View all 7 updates ›

GCHQ: 'We do not comment on intelligence matters'

Responding to reports that UK and US intelligence agencies have been developing capabilities to take advantage of smartphone applications to gather users' private information, a spokesman for British intelligence agency GCHQ told the Guardian:

It is a longstanding policy that we do not comment on intelligence matters.

Furthermore, all of GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate, and that there is rigorous oversight, including from the Secretary of State, the Interception and Intelligence Services Commissioners and the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee. All our operational processes rigorously support this position.

– GCHQ spokesman

More top news