India concerned over US surveillance on Indian nationals

India has expressed concern by media reports suggesting that data related to private communications of Indian citizens may have been harvested by the United States. "We are concerned and surprised about it. Between India and the US we have a Cyber Security Dialogue, and it is coordinated by the National Security Councils on both sides. We feel that this is the appropriate forum to discuss such issues. We intend to seek information and details during consultations between interlocutors from both sides," said an official transcript of media briefing quoting External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin. The spokesperson said "surely India would find it unacceptable," if laws related to the privacy of information of ordinary Indian citizens have been violated. Indias reaction came after several reports suggested that the US-based National Security Agency (NSA) has been spying on emails and social network activity of web users and listening in on internet calls around the world for nearly six years. Edward Snowden, an ex US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent, had recently leaked classified NSA documents that revealed how the US government accessed phone and online data belonging to millions of Americans and citizens of other countries. Snowden, also a former CIA computer technician, had published the documents last Wednesday, before he publicized his identity. According to UK's Guardian newspaper, Iran was the most spied-upon country followed by Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt and India. US President Barack Obama has so far defended what he believed was the "surveillance" project aimed at thwarting attacks on US. Reports showed that India was the fifth most-tracked country in the US data-mining programme launched in 2007, the MEA spokesperson said. "India would wait and see how the matter unfolds rather than jump into conclusions." "Of course, this is an evolving situation. Every day we find new issues coming up. Rather than jump into conclusions at this stage, we will take it as it evolves and have a better understanding and a clearer paradigm of how to tackle this issue once the broader parameters of this in its entirety are available for us," he added.