US Snoops May Blackmail Muslim Clerics

US spies seem to be tracking sort of porn Internet users were downloading in order to blackmail them later. Another Snowden leak revealed that the NSA has been collecting records of Internet sexual activity and evidence of visits to porn sites.


It looks like part of a plan to blackmail or harm the reputations of people who are radicalizing others via incendiary speeches. The idea is that a radical Muslim cleric won’t be taken seriously if his followers knew he spends the nights downloading porn.

NSA secret documents revealed that six Muslims became an example of how “personal vulnerabilities” could become known via electronic surveillance, and then used to undermine people’s credibility, reputation and authority.

For some reason, it fails to mention giving similar attention to born-again Christian priests who called for Obama to be assassinated – maybe because they are Americans and therefore immune from spying. However, the fact is that American presidents have always been killed by their own people.

NSA lists a number of vulnerabilities of its targets, including those who can effectively be exploited: for instance, “viewing sexually explicit content” or “using sexually explicit persuasive language when communicating with inexperienced young girls”.

According to the US Civil Liberties Union, the leaks led to serious concerns about abuse. The outfit explained that the NSA was collecting massive amounts of sensitive data about almost everyone, so it knows what you are downloading, too.

In should be noted that none of the 6 people targeted by the agency was accused of being involved in terror plots and all of them currently reside outside the US.