The United States' National Security Agency intelligence-gathering operation is capable of accessing user data from smart phones from all leading manufacturers. Top secret NSA documents that SPIEGEL has seen explicitly note that the NSA can tap into such information on Apple iPhones, BlackBerry devices and Google's Android mobile operating system. 
 
 The documents state that it is possible for the NSA to tap most sensitive data held on these smart phones, including contact lists, SMS traffic, notes and location information about where a user has been. 
 
 The documents also indicate that the NSA has set up specific working groups to deal with each operating system, with the goal of gaining secret access to the data held on the phones. 
 
 In the internal documents, experts boast about successful access to iPhone data in instances where the NSA is able to infiltrate the computer a person uses to sync their iPhone. Mini-programs, so-called "scripts," then enable additional access to at least 38 iPhone features. 
 
 The documents suggest the intelligence specialists have also had similar success in hacking into BlackBerrys. A 2009 NSA document states that it can "see and read SMS traffic." It also notes there was a period in 2009 when the NSA was temporarily unable to access BlackBerry devices. After the Canadian company acquired another firm the same year, it changed the way in compresses its data. But in March 2010, the department responsible at Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency declared in a top secret document it had regained access to BlackBerry data and celebrated with the word, "champagne!" 
 
 The documents also state that the NSA has succeeded in accessing the BlackBerry mail system, which is known to be very secure. This could mark a huge setback for the company, which has always claimed that its mail system is uncrackable. 
 
 In response to questions from SPIEGEL, BlackBerry officials stated, "It is not for us to comment on media reports regarding alleged government surveillance of telecommunications traffic." The company said it had not programmed a "'back door' pipeline to our platform." 
 
 The material viewed by SPIEGEL suggests that the spying on smart phones has not been a mass phenomenon. It has been targeted, in some cases in an individually tailored manner and without the knowledge of the smart phone companies. 
 
 Correction: The original version of this news story was adapted from a SPIEGEL press release on Saturday that did not include information attributing the March 2010 document cited in the original to Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency. This important information has been added, and the full English version of the article has since been posted online. ||||| I guess we're not even surprised at this point. Der Spiegel is reporting that internal NSA documents prove the agency's widespread smartphone data access. And it's pretty exhaustive. Spiegel found explicit mention of information access from iPhones, BlackBerry handsets, and devices running Android. 
 
 Everything from contact lists to texts and location tracking is available, and the NSA has set up teams to specialize in cracking each operating system. These teams also look for additional gains like the ability to monitor a user's computer after an iPhone sync, and get access from there to even more iPhone features. 
 
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 The news is problematic for RIM in particular, because the security of BlackBerry mail has always been a touted feature. A RIM representative made a statement to Der Spiegel that, "It is not for us to comment on media reports regarding alleged government surveillance of telecommunications traffic." 
 
 Der Spiegel notes that the documents indicate specific, customized access on the part of the NSA, perhaps without company knowledge, rather than widespread smartphone surveillance. But at this point who knows. [Der Spiegel] ||||| German news weekly Der Spiegel reports that the U.S. National Security Agency can access users' data on all major smartphones. 
 
 The magazine cites internal documents from the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ in which the agencies describe setting up dedicated teams to crack protective measures on iPhones, BlackBerry and Android devices. 
 
 This data includes contacts, call lists, SMS traffic, notes and location data. 
 
 Der Spiegel says the documents don't indicate that the NSA is conducting mass surveillance of phone users but rather that these techniques are used to eavesdrop on specific individuals. 
 
 The article published Sunday doesn't say how the magazine obtained the documents. But one of its authors is Laura Poitras, an American filmmaker with close contacts to NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
– More shocking NSA news that shouldn't be shocking to any resident of planet Earth: It turns out that the whiz kids over at the National Security Agency have the capability to access a broad range of data on most smartphones out there, including iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. This according to "top secret NSA documents" cited in an exclusive report in der Spiegel, which the AP notes is co-bylined by Laura Poitras. Yes, the NSA can access data that includes your contact lists, SMS messages, notes, and GPS information; the agency has also reportedly set up teams to deal with the specifics of different operating systems. The documents don't appear to indicate mass spying, but rather targeted individuals. This is particularly bad news for BlackBerry, notes Gizmodo, which has long touted its email as ultra-secure. The NSA documents do note that it was temporarily unable to hack BlackBerries, but that a change in RIM's data compression in March 2010 restored access. The response of the NSA team dedicated to BlackBerry: "Champagne!" RIM is refusing comment, other than to deny it had installed a "'back door' pipeline to our platform." Spiegel's full report is due out tomorrow. Meanwhile, iPhone users shouldn't be too smug: The report says the NSA had access to at least 38 iPhone features.