UK intelligence agency GCHQ had the power to hack into phones without letting the owners know, US whistleblower Edward Snowden has said.
In an interview to BBC, Snowden said Smartphone users can do very little to stop security services from getting total control over their devices.
According to Snowden, GCHQ can gain access to a handset by sending it an encrypted text message. It can be used for things like taking pictures and listening in.
Snowden, who was previously employed with the US National Security Agency, is in Moscow since 2013. He fled there after leaking to the media details of internet and phone surveillance by the NSA.
He said both GCHQ and NSA had invested heavily in technology, which has given them the ability to hack smartphones. However, both agencies are not interested in mass-monitoring of citizens' private communications, he added.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.