France has dismissed reports that its intelligence agencies are spying on the citizens by monitoring their telephone and internet communications.
On July 4, French daily Le Monde reported that the data from communications were being stored on a supercomputer at the headquarters of the Directorate-General External Security (DGSE) foreign intelligence service.
The report said that the DGSE Å“systematically collects electromagnetic signals emitted by computers in France, as well as the data feed between France and abroad: the entirety of our communications are being spied upon.”
On Friday, spokesperson for Franceâ„¢s Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault rejected as Å“inexact” the reports by the French daily.
Å“Several services conduct monitoring operations for security reasons,” an official from Ayrault’s office said.
The official added that the data could only be delved into if Ayrault Å“so decided after advice from the CNCIS (National Commission of Security Interceptions Control.)
The revelation by the French daily comes as the country has sharply criticized the United States over eavesdropping on EU offices, calling on
on the European Union to put off talks with the US on a major free trade agreement set to begin in Washington on July 8.
Recent reports in the UK daily The Guardian and German newsmagazine Der Spiegel have revealed extensive secret surveillance by the US National Security Agency (NSA) of EU offices, including diplomatic missions in Washington and at the United Nations in New York and also at the EU headquarters in Brussels.
Der Spiegel said in its June 29 report that the NSA had gained access to EU internal computer networks.
Revelations about the US surveillance program and its widespread spying on other countries were made public by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The American whistleblower has assured that the information he obtained about US surveillance programs will continue to be published.
YH/HN
Republished with permission from: Press TV