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Monday, October 21, 2013

US Recorded 'Millions of Calls' in France


The US National Security Agency recorded millions of phone calls in France, including calls involving individuals with no links to terrorism, French daily "Le Monde" reported Monday, citing documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has received asylum in Russia.

The NSA taped 70.3 million French phone calls in just a little under a month in the period from December 10 last year to January 8, 2013, "Le Monde" reported on its website. The report was cited by France 24.

The NSA automatically picked up communications from certain phone numbers in France and recorded text messages under a program code named "US-985D", the paper said.

"Le Monde" said the documents indicated that the NSA targets not only people suspected of being involved in terrorism but also high-profile individuals from the world of business or politics.

US authorities declined comment to the French daily on the classified documents.

Snowden, who has taken temporary refuge in Russia, is wanted in the United States on espionage and other charges after leaking details of the NSA's monitoring activities to journalists.

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