The NSA & Google Become Partners
It is always interesting when one of the most powerful espionage organizations takes enough interest in your corporation to forge a partnership — there is a lot we will be able to conclude from this:
The world’s largest Internet search company and the world’s most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity.
Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google — and its users — from future attack.
Google and the NSA declined to comment on the partnership. But sources with knowledge of the arrangement, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the alliance is being designed to allow the two organizations to share critical information without violating Google’s policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans’ online communications. The sources said the deal does not mean the NSA will be viewing users’ searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data.
The NSA has deemed that somehow, some way the security of the American internet mogul Google will effect the security of Americans — otherwise, this would in no way fit into a part of the NSA overall view of what its mission and purpose are. The NSA addresses the security issues of Americans particularly on the front of communications intelligence — their entire court for national security is the internet.
What we can conclude is that somehow there are anti-US elements attempting to use Google for purposes that would effect Americans adversely on a large scale, and in all likelihood, we are looking at the Chinese government perpetrating some form of organized attack on Google.
It is still a little odd…
The questions I have:
- Would they be able to undermine the American company enough to truly effect Americans? If not, what is the NSAs interest?
- Does Google somehow, in another way, cooperate with the NSA in handing over valuable intelligence and is threatened in this operation?
- Is the Chinese government for certain behind these attacks?
- Could this merely be training exercises by the Chinese cyber teams in an attempt to hack some of the more sophisticated and large systems? If that is the case it would make sense for the NSA to assess the attacks in exchange for help.
A lot of this we will probably never know the answer to but it is good to contemplate.