"External Communications" And Infernal Revelations: Britain Allows Cyber-Spying On Facebook And Google

While many other nations around the world are condemning the US for its privacy violations, it seems that Great Britain is taking advantage of our lapses.

The BBC reports that British intelligence now considers sites like Facebook and Google to be "external communications" due to the companies' headquarters being based in the US, and thus the information gleaned from these sites is acceptable for agency retainment and/or review. Non-external sources would require the signature of a minister on a targeted warrant, issued only after suspicion of illegal activity was clearly stated.

Privacy International director Eric King noted the actual laws preventing this are unclear and possibly manipulated by those who would scour for secrets, stating "Intelligence agencies cannot be considered accountable to parliament and to the public they serve when their actions are obfuscated through secret interpretations of Byzantine laws."

With America, Britain, and even more of the world now affected by pervasive privacy penetration, an international dialogue on what constitutes infringement may be necessary. With the American Constitution already well trampled in regards to cyber and cell security, perhaps a rallying of world citizens tired of being spied on would achieve some measure of change.