Rights groups urge action after alleged US-UK SIM card hack News
Rights groups urge action after alleged US-UK SIM card hack

[JURIST] Rights groups called Friday for urgent action to protect private calls and online correspondence after allegations that US and British agencies hacked into the networks of Gemalto, a major SIM card manufacturer. Edward Snowden allegedly leaked documents [AP report] to The Intercept [report], an online news source, claiming the National Security Agency (NSA) and its British counterpart, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) [official websites], hacked into Gemalto’s network and stole codes, which would allow both governments to eavesdrop on mobile phones worldwide. The Worldwide Web Foundation [advocacy website] said [press release] that the alleged hacking by NSA and GCHQ “was another worrying sign that agencies think they are above the law.” In an e-mail to The Associated Press, GCHQ said its intelligence work was legal and complied with the European Convention on Human Rights [text, PDF].

The focus on government surveillance policies comes largely as a result of revelations [JURIST backgrounder] by former NSA contractor Snowden, who allegedly leaked classified documents, including PRISM and UPSTREAM, in 2013, exposing the scope and breadth of NSA surveillance activities. One of the first challenges to NSA activities came in June 2013, when the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit [JURIST report] in federal court just days after Snowden claimed responsibility for the leaks. As the outcry over the revelations began to expand in scope and severity, several other human rights groups decided to sue as well. The following month both the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Electronic Privacy Information Center [advocacy websites] filed suit alleging [JURIST report] similar claims on the behalf of a coalition of 19 separate organizations. Earlier this month the UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled [JURIST report] that the UK’s mass surveillance of citizens’ Internet use violates human rights law. In July civil liberties groups sued [JURIST report] the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service known as MI6, alleging that the agency accesses data from undersea cables in violation of the rights to private life and freedom of expression. A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California in February granted a cross-motion for summary judgment [JURIST report] to the NSA in a lawsuit challenging the agency’s warrantless interception of Internet communications.