by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – The National Security Agency spied on porn habits of suspected Muslim “Radicalizers” to discredit them according to a report released by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.  The slides Snowden provided to the Huffington Post described “personal vulnerabilities” of six Muslim targets that “view[ed] sexually explicit material online.”

While the names of six targets in this report were redacted from the report provided by Snowden, the NSA believed all six to live outside the United States.  The report identifies these six targets as “exemplars” of how “personal vulnerabilities” may be used to undermine the views of dissenters.

One dissident was identified as a foreign national and a “respected academic.” His was listed as holding that radicalizing view that “offensive jihad is justified.”  His listed vulnerabilities are “online promiscuity” and “publishes articles without checking facts.”

News of the NSA’s proposed tactics have been met with sharp criticism, both internationally and domestically.

“This is not the first time we’ve seen states use intimate and private information of an individual who holds views the government doesn’t agree with, and exploit this information to undermine an individual’s message,” said NGO Privacy International in response to this news.

Director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, Ben Wizner said via Twitter, “The NSA scandal turns a dangerous corner,” adding, “I bet Washington is full of nervous people.”

Revelations of the latest NSA program came shortly after a group of United Nations experts adopted a right to privacy resolution.  This resolution is set to be passed by the UN General Assembly before the year’s end.

This news was perhaps more damaging to European Union’s review of its commercial data-sharing program known as Safe Harbor.  One EU executor threatened to freeze the pact, effectively eliminating the supply of information on transatlantic air passengers as well as the exchange of information intended to limit terrorist funding.

For more information, please see:

TIME – NSA Monitored Porn Habits To Discredit ‘Radicalizers’ – 27 November 2013

USA Today – NSA spied on porn habits, HuffPo reports – 27 November 2013

Fox News – NSA reportedly spied on porn habits to discredit Islamist radicals – 28 November 2013

The Washington Post – The Switchboard: NSA discussed using porn habits to discredit Muslim radicals – 27 November 2013

BBC News – NSA ‘planned to discredit radicals over web-porn use’ – 27 November 2013