Memo Reveals NSA Can Spy Even On Close Ally UK

The NSA declined to say whether its official policy

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A leaked National Security Agency memo suggests the United States can spy on even its closest allies, including the United Kingdom, despite prior non-spying agreements.

The memo, dated January 2005, appears to be a draft, and the NSA declined to say whether it became official policy or if the U.S. has spied on British citizens without the country’s consent, the New York Times reports. But the document, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, indicates that both the U.K. and the U.S. believe that spying on each other’s citizens without the other’s consent is acceptable in extraordinary circumstances.

While NSA spying revelations have riled U.S. partners like Germany and France, there have been few reports until now of spying between the U.S. and its closest intelligence partners, like the U.S. and Canada.

[NYT]