Snapping up cheap spy tools, nations 'monitoring everyone'

 

Snapping up cheap spy tools, nations 'monitoring everyone'

By FRANK BAJAK and JACK GILLUM

 

LIMA, Peru (AP) — It was a national scandal. Peru's then-vice
president accused two domestic intelligence agents of staking her out.
Then, a top congressman blamed the spy agency for a break-in at his
office. News stories showed the agency had collected data on hundreds of
influential Peruvians.

Yet after last year's outrage, which forced out the prime minister
and froze its intelligence-gathering, the spy service went ahead with a
$22 million program capable of snooping on thousands of Peruvians at a
time. Peru — a top cocaine-producing nation — joined the ranks of world
governments that have added commercial spyware to their arsenals.

The purchase from Israeli-American company Verint Systems, chronicled in documents
obtained by The Associated Press, offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look
into how easy it is for a country to purchase and install off-the-shelf
surveillance equipment. The software allows governments to intercept
voice calls, text messages and emails.

 

Pedestrians talk on their cellphones in Lima, Peru, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Under a July 2015... Read more