NSA Can Access Your Smartphone Data, Too

On top of its email and phone call surveillance, the National Security Agency also has access to data on all major smartphones like the iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices, according to a new report from German news weekly Der Spiegel.

Der Spiegel cited internal documents from the NSA andU.K. Government Communications Headquarters which described a set of dedicated teams for each type of phone to gather intelligence on potential terrorist threats. The data obtained includes contacts, call lists, SMS traffic, notes and location information. The documents didn't indicate the NSA was using mass surveillance but that these techniques are used to eavesdrop on certain individuals in particular.

The documents come after widespread criticism over the NSA's mass surveillance on the phone calls of millions of ordinary Americans and even some foreign nations, prompting questions of privacy in the U.S. and abroad. NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who originally released the documents showing a massive surveillance program, is currently living in Russia where he was granted temporary asylum.