WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report says the National Security Agency secretly planned a cyberwarfare program that could automatically fire back at cyber-attacks from foreign countries without any human involvement.
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden tells Wired magazine such a program could accidentally start a war because cyber-attacks can be launched to look like they came from innocent countries. He said the practice violates Americans’ privacy because of the vast data collected.
Snowden remains exiled in Russia since leaking top secret NSA documents to journalists last year. They revealed the NSA was collecting the communications of millions of citizens not suspected of a crime.
The NSA declined to comment Wednesday on specifics of the report.
Snowden is charged under the U.S. Espionage Act and faces up to 30 years in prison.
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