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US Shifts Blame on Russian Hackers to Deflect Attention From Spying Activities

© AFP 2023 / SAUL LOEBThe Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) logo is displayed in the lobby of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on August 14, 2008
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) logo is displayed in the lobby of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on August 14, 2008 - Sputnik International
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WikiLeaks recently published a massive trove of documents from the CIA, disclosing that the agency has the capability to hack into virtually all popular computers, smart TVs and mobile devices.

White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (C) arrives prior to a joint news conference between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 13, 2017. Picture taken February 13, 2017 - Sputnik International
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This means that everyone, including political leaders and heads of large organizations in any country, can be wiretapped by the US intelligence.

Importantly, WikiLeaks' disclosure comes after the US intelligence agency claim alleging Russian meddling in November's US presidential election, an accusation the Russian government has repeatedly denied.

In an interview with Sputnik Italy, Italian journalist and editor-in-chief of the Dissensi Edizioni website Gianluca Ferrara shared his opinion on the issue.

According to him, the United States tries to deflect public attention from its controversial activities by shifting blame onto others.

"Once it was communism, today it is terrorism, which is largely financed by the US. Someone is always guilty and, when Trump won, they said that the Russian hackers were to blame for that," Ferrara said in an interview with Sputnik.

The 8,761 documents released by WikiLeaks were allegedly obtained from an "isolated, high-security network" at the CIA Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virginia. In particular, they revealed that the intelligence agency is capable of using Samsung televisions as recording devices even when they appear to be off.

Another detail included in the disclosure is that the agency has the capability to record sounds, images and private text messages sent on smartphones, even if the person is using encrypted apps to avoid hacking and surveillance. So, even if a person uses Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp, the CIA has direct access to her or his device, and the original pre-encrypted information.

In Ferrara's opinion, Italian authorities do not react to WikiLeaks' revelations "because, since the end of World War II, Italy has become a colony of the United States, its faithful servant."

"We live in the age of dictatorship, which since 1989 has become global. Everyone is ruled by the United States, an empire that holds military bases on all continents, and whose international institutions have colonized all countries. There is not a single drop of democracy in this, but people are unable to understand how dependent they currently are," the journalist said.

U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping drink a toast at a lunch banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014. - Sputnik International
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The US intelligence agency has repeatedly spied on high-ranking officials and organizations outside the United States. One of the greatest scandals broke out in Germany in 2013 when it became known that the German intelligence agency BND spied on European politicians on behalf of the US.

In particular, it was revealed that the BND — with the NSA — had spied on French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, German diplomat Hansjorg Haber, the International Criminal Court, the UN Children's Fund UNICEF and European and American companies.

According to WikiLeaks' evidence, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and as many as 20 persons from the German Foreign Ministry have been targets of NSA espionage activities as well.

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