NSA Traced Internet Porn Viewing Habits To Destroy Targets’ Reputations


The NSA followed internet porn site visits and other online sexual activity of six targets in order to discredit them. The National Security Agency considers the targets to be Muslim “radicalizers,” according to the newly leaked document. It talks about the use of this type of information for exploiting “personal vulnerabilities” discovered from surveillance. The leaked document suggests ways using this information could harm a figure’s standing and reputation.

The document dated to October 2012 is the latest to come from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. According to USA Today, the intelligence agency says the six people targeted live outside of the United States. However, one is described as a “US person.” This likely means the target is either a permanent resident or has US citizenship.

As told to the Huffington Post by the director of public affairs for National Intelligence, Shawn Turner, it “should not be surprising that the US Government uses all of the lawful tools at our disposal” to stop terrorists. None of the six targets, as described in the NSA document, are connected to terrorist plots, however.

According to the NSA document, the monitoring included tracing targets’ online pornography viewing. The surveillance also followed subjects’ “using sexually explicit persuasive language when communicating with inexperienced young girls” in chat rooms and through social media.

The American Civil Liberties Union says this latest NSA leak shows the potential for abuse. The ACLU’s deputy legal director, Jameel Jaffer, says that because the NSA’s monitoring operations are “anything but narrowly focused — the agency is collecting massive amounts of sensitive information about virtually everyone” — this practice is worthy of concern.

Included with this new NSA document leak is an appendix which lists why these six targets were selected for special surveillance. With a table, it sorts out statements made by a target and their “vulnerabilities.” One of the target’s “arguments,” as presented on the document, is that “non-Muslims are a threat to Islam.” Another target is listed as writing articles that are not fact-checked as a possible vulnerability.

What do you think? How do you feel about this new NSA document leak revealing the tracing of online activity to destroy a person’s reputation? Do you think concerns about abuse are justified? Share your thoughts below!

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