Copyright: TVB Pearl News, Ms. Sonya Artero
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKY5HA-yTlQ
{O/C} China and the U.S. aren't the only countries taking the heat over revelations of indiscriminate eavesdropping.
In the latest information leaked by notorious whistleblower, Edward Snowden, Britain has some explaining to do as well.
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Hours before leaders of the Group of Eight countries begin a summit in Northern Ireland, the Guardian newspaper dropped a whopper that now has participants watching their backs.
Evidence in the Snowden leaks maintains Britain intercepted phone calls and monitored computers used by officials taking part in two high-level finance meetings in London back in 2009. It alleges British intelligence agencies strategically set up Internet cafes so they could read the emails of delegates from countries in the Group of 20.
It stated the eavesdropping was sanctioned by the government of former prime minister Gordon Brown.
Britain's Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
{O/C} Revelations over top secret leaks by Edward Snowden had current and former top U.S. officials defending America's need for widespread data collection.
White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and former vice president Dick Cheney maintain not only was the monitoring sanctioned, but Americans aren't safe without it.
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In interviews on Sunday news shows in America, the White House chief of staff said the government's reliance on data collection both locally and abroad was constitutional and overseen by executive, legislative and court authorities.
{Soundbite} DENNIS McDONOUGH, White House Chief of Staff: Authorised by Congress, overseen by Congress, briefed aggressively to every member of Congress, subjected to regular oversight from the independent courts. What does that tell you? That tells you that all three branches of government to include aggressive internal checks inside the administration from inspector's general and routine audits is overseeing how we do these programmes.
The disclosure of monitoring came from classified documents exposed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who was horrified over America's secret spy machine.
While Snowden's leaks may be enlightening, McDonough maintains his actions have crippled how America protects its homeland.
This, as the government's four major data collection programmes are designed to help prevent another 911 terror attack.
{Soundbite} In effect gives a playbook to those who would like to under... to get around our techniques and our practices.
Because Snowden is still hiding out in Hong Kong, former vice president Dick Cheney is worried he'll become a turncoat for the Chinese.
{Soundbite} DICK CHENEY, Former U.S. Vice President: I am very, very worried that he still has additional information that he hasn't released yet, that the Chinese would welcome the opportunity and probably willing to provide immunity for him, or sanctuary for him, if you will, in exchange for what he presumably knows or doesn't know.
As many have also suspected, Cheney believes Snowden did not act alone.
{Soundbite} I have trouble believing that somebody in his position as a contract employee had access to the kind of things he's talking about.
Meantime, the Swiss president doubts Snowden's claims about his activities as a CIA man in Geneva and will back an investigation scrutinising the leaker should prosecutors call for one.
Sonya Artero, TVB news.
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