NSA may have undercover agents in mainland companies
New revelations from documents leaked by Edward Snowden, which suggested the NSA may have undercover agents in mainland companies, have prompted criticism from Beijing.
New revelations from documents leaked by US National Security Agency whistle-blower Edward Snowden, which suggested the NSA may have undercover agents in mainland companies, have prompted criticism from Beijing.
The documents, released by Peter Maass and Laura Poitras via The Intercept, an independent online publication, depict a "top secret" government programme that not only hacks foreign systems, but also plants undercover operatives into "commercial entities".
Poitras met and filmed Snowden when he was seeking asylum in Hong Kong.
"You are being indoctrinated on Sentry Eagle", the document reads, a programme designed to "protect America's cyberspace".
Under the umbrella title Sentry Eagle, the document describes six clandestine programmes, including Sentry Osprey, which appears to involve human intelligence operations.
The documents list South Korea, Germany and China as sites where the NSA has deployed a "forward-based Tarex [for target exploitation, according to the report] presence".
It is unclear which commercial entities, foreign or domestic, the NSA has infiltrated, or the extent of its infiltration, such as whether undercover agents are working as full-time employees or visiting businessmen.
