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The NSA shares raw intelligence data with Israel, according to leaked document

The NSA shares raw intelligence data with Israel, according to leaked document

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The NSA's raw surveillance data may be more widely shared than many thought. According to a classified document published by The Guardian, Israel has routine access to the NSA's stockpile of unedited signals data, including transcripts, phone records and digital network intelligence. The memorandum explicitly states that Israeli agencies must handle the data in accordance with US law, but there are apparently no laws or court oversight mechanisms to ensure this takes place. In short, if the NSA has access to an email or a phone call, it's safe to assume Israeli agencies have access to it as well.

The memorandum does make an exception for communications involving US government officials, which are to be destroyed as soon as they're identified. There are no such restrictions for average American citizens, although their communications are officially outside the jurisdiction of the NSA. In a statement to The Guardian, the NSA defended the arrangement, saying, "the fact that intelligence services work together under specific and regulated conditions mutually strengthens the security of both nations."