NSA spying via radio airwaves, not just internet

In the latest revelation from Edward Snowden, the former contractor for the US National Security Agency who leaked sensitive government documents to the world last year, surveillance is being conducted via implanted software on 100,000 computers in countries where the NSA suspects terror plots may arise. According to a New York Times report published Wednesday, the NSA used secret technology to access and change information within computer systems without using the internet. USB cards and small circuit boards were implanted in shipments of equipment that the NSA intercepted, resulting in spying through radio waves. The technology has been used since 2008. One of the most frequent targets for the NSA has been the Chinese Army, which the US has repeatedly accused of cyber attacks in order to steal American intelligence. However, surveillance software has also been inserted into computer equipment in Russia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, and Pakistan. The NSA maintains that it only spies on foreign adversaries and denied using this secret technology inside the US. On Friday, President Barack Obama is expected to reveal the full recommendations of his NSA review panel, which has been looking into the surveillance practices.