“The more the US and UK threaten, the more I will publish,” Glenn Greenwald has told French radio. The Guardian journalist revealed the scope of US spying on France was “enormous,” but the French government is also complicit in US espionage.
In an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI), Greenwald
spoke candidly about the threats he had received from the US and
UK and his intention to publish all the documents handed to him
by former CIA worker Edward Snowden.
“I intend to publish all the documents I have. The more threats I
get from the US and UK, the harder I will work to publish this
information,” said Greenwald, adding that the previous
revelations on the NSA’s spying activities had fed the debate on
internet privacy.
He told French radio that he was aware he is under constant
surveillance and has taken measures to protect himself.
“I don’t use my phone to talk about important things. I know
that my emails are being spied on so I use encrypted messages to
communicate with my sources, colleagues and even my friends,”
he said.
In addition, Greenwald revealed that the NSA had spied
extensively on France and the French government also collaborates
with Washington in its espionage programs.
“The scope of US spying on the French is enormous,” said
Greenwald. “But the NSA also spies with the cooperation with
the French government.”
Hinting at the subject matter of possible future revelations,
Greenwald stressed “the American government spies
indiscriminately on Africa” and that many of the continent’s
governments collaborate with the US.
Following the first revelations regarding the US’ global spy
network, Glenn Greenwald’s partner, David Miranda, was detained
under the terrorist act at a London airport for nine hours. The
UK authorities confiscated his phone, laptop and memory storage
devices and threatened him with imprisonment.
Greenwald decried Miranda’s detention as an act of
“intimidation” by the UK government and an “abuse of
power.” His arrest also drew the ire of the Brazilian
government, which claimed the UK had acted outside their
jurisdiction, detaining a Brazilian national with no charges
against him.
Moreover, Brazil has demanded the US and Canada account for their
spying activities in the Latin American country. Greenwald
divulged documents handed to him by Edward Snowden revealing how
the NSA had penetrated the highest levels of the Brazilian
government and state oil company Petrobras with its covert
surveillance programs. Furthermore, Canada was found to have
carried out spying on the Brazilian Ministry of Energy.
In response, Washington has said it has launched a probe into
spying activities, but warned it will take several months. While
the Obama Administration denies it engages in “economic
espionage,” it maintains that its spying activities are in the
interests of American national security.