Personal data of citizens was intercepted indiscriminately. Corporate information – often of high economic and even strategic value – was at the center of espionage activity. Also, Brazilian diplomatic missions, among them the permanent mission to the UN and the office of the president of the republic itself, had their communications intercepted… Tampering in such a manner in the affairs of other countries is a breach of international law and is an affront of the principles that must guide the relations among them, especially among friendly nations. A sovereign nation can never establish itself to the detriment of another sovereign nation. The right to safety of citizens of one country can never be guaranteed by violating fundamental human rights of citizens of another country, …
– Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, unloading on the US government’s NSA program, just before president Obama’s speech to the UN today.
President Obama, who spoke after President Rousseff, and had this to say:
Just as we reviewed how we deploy our extraordinary military capabilities in a way that lives up to our ideals, we have begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so as to properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies, with the privacy concerns that all people share.
Regardless of the odds of success in reversing the FATCA roll out in the coming year, and in spite of those who ridicule and nay-say, the truth, apparently, still has some power – even over the United States of America. Who would have thought that?
