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I Spy, You Spy

According to an article in today’s LA Times, Mexico is expanding its domestic surveillance program with a little help from its northern neighbors. The country’s Federal Investigative Agency is installing a new $3 million Communications Intercept System which will make it easier to tap phones, track the location of cell phone callers, recognize voices on ...

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601662_070314_calderon5.jpg
601662_070314_calderon5.jpg

According to an article in today's LA Times, Mexico is expanding its domestic surveillance program with a little help from its northern neighbors. The country's Federal Investigative Agency is installing a new $3 million Communications Intercept System which will make it easier to tap phones, track the location of cell phone callers, recognize voices on the other side, and read e-mails. Mexican President Felipe Calderon says that the expanded surveillance is necessary to combat drug gangs, which have killed hundreds of people in the past few months.

According to an article in today’s LA Times, Mexico is expanding its domestic surveillance program with a little help from its northern neighbors. The country’s Federal Investigative Agency is installing a new $3 million Communications Intercept System which will make it easier to tap phones, track the location of cell phone callers, recognize voices on the other side, and read e-mails. Mexican President Felipe Calderon says that the expanded surveillance is necessary to combat drug gangs, which have killed hundreds of people in the past few months.

What Calderon fails to mention is that the contract shows that the new system is being paid for by the U.S. State Department, and that the U.S. government may have access to some of the information gleaned from this intensified surveillance. Isn’t it nice to know that neighbors can share?

Christine Y. Chen is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.
Read More On North America | Strategic Intelligence

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