Edward Snowden Revealed What the NSA Can Do With Your Phone… Even if It’s Turned Off

In a wide-ranging interview on NBC News with Brian Williams, Former National Security Agency contractor-turned-fugitive Edward Snowden says the U.S. Government has the capability to remotely turn on a targeted cellphone. Then, allegedly that same cell phone could be secretly activated to broadcast from the device’s camera and microphone.

Snowden, who worked as a systems analyst on behalf of the the NSA, downloaded intelligence documents and leaked them to journalists. The documents revealed, among other things, that the U.S. Government was collecting bulk phone and email data on American citizens. Snowden maintains he took action because he felt the American people had the right to know about the surveillance programs.

“The NSA, the Russian intelligence service, the Chinese intelligence service, any intelligence service in the world that has significant funding and a real technological research team can own that phone… as soon as you turn it on, it can be theirs,” Snowden said. “They can turn it into a microphone, they can take pictures from it, they can take data off of it.”

However, he did clarify that such surveillance is “typically done on a targeted basis.”

When asked by Williams if the U.S. government could turn on a phone remotely if it’s off, Snowden said “yes.” He answered the same way when asked if they can turn on apps or access Google history.

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