India takes up snooping issue with US envoy

National security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon has spoken to US ambassador to India Nancy Powell regarding reports that India is the fifth most tracked country by the American intelligence.

National security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon has spoken to US ambassador to India Nancy Powell regarding reports that India is the fifth most tracked country by the American intelligence.

HT Image

The matter was taken up on Monday by Menon and Powell during their preparatory discussions ahead of the India-US strategic dialogue later this month, sources said, adding that the envoy said the US itself was still studying the issue.

India had earlier said it was “concerned and surprised” by the reports regarding the American intelligence using a secret data-mining programme to monitor worldwide internet data. External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin had also said it would be “unacceptable” if it were found that domestic laws relating to privacy of information of citizens were violated by the US action. “We intend to seek information during consultations between interlocutors,” he said.

‘Assange didn’t seek asylum in India’
New Delhi has denied reports that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had sought asylum in India. “We have checked our records and we cannot find any reference to Julian Assange seeking asylum. I don’t know whether he did it through social media?” official sources said.