US spy agency in the spotlight

America’S ultra-secret National Security Agency (NSA) reluctantly finds itself in the headlines amid a wave of disclosures from ex-intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who has exposed the service’s vast electronic spying operation.

France and Mexico demanded explanations on Monday after the latest revelations from Snowden alleged the NSA secretly monitored tens of millions of phone communications in France and hacked into former Mexican president Felipe Calderón’s emails.

Hollywood directors and novelists have made the CIA famous for its undercover agents in the field, but in the digital era, the hi-tech NSA may represent the most far-reaching arm of the country’s 16 spy agencies, with its intelligence at the centre of decision-making and military planning.