U.K. Goverment Spies Accused of Recording Yahoo Webcam Chats

LONDON — Yahoo believes the U.K. spy agency GCHQ may have interceped and stored millions of users’ webcam images — many sexual in nature — from its chat platform.

Examining reports from notorious whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Guardian published claims that GCHQ worked with America’s National Security Agency (NSA) to accrue Yahoo webcam chats in bulk.

“We were not aware of, nor would we condone, this reported activity,” a Yahoo spokesperson announced in response to the news. “This report, if true, represents a whole new level of violation of our users’ privacy that is completely unacceptable and we strongly call on the world’s governments to reform surveillance law consistent with the principles we outlined in December.”

The operation, codenamed Optic Nerve, ran between 2008 and 2010 and collected images of individuals, whether or not they were suspected of questionable activity.

According to Snowden’s document, 3 to 11 percent of the Yahoo images collected contained “undesirable nudity.”  

“Unfortunately ... it would appear that a surprising number of people use webcam conversations to show intimate parts of their body to the other person,” Snowden said.

“Also, the fact that the Yahoo software allows more than one person to view a webcam stream without necessarily sending a reciprocal stream means that it appears sometimes to be used for broadcasting pornography,” he added.

GCHQ did not collect the webcam chats wholesale, but rather saved one image per five minutes, topping surveilance of 1.8 million users’ accounts in one six month period alone, reports say.  

The agency claims that it was using the collected data to use in automated facial recognition experiments, monitor suspicious individuals and to discover new people to target. It has not issued a response to the Guardian's accusations.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

NATS Launches Integrated Content Management System

Too Much Media (TMM) has rolled out an integrated, no-charge Content Management System (CMS) to its NATS platform.

Amy Nosferatu Stars in New Scene From Grooby

Amy Nosferatu returns to Grooby for a new solo scene, titled “Amy’s Afternoon.”

Tatiana Steele Makes Her WIFEY Debut

Creator Tatiana Steele stars with her husband Ian and Isiah Maxwell in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint WIFEY.

Ava Amira Stars in 'Yoni' From S3XUS

Ava Amira stars with director Brad Newman in the latest release from S3XUS, titled “Yoni.”

Jonni Darkko Directs New Kianna Dior Showcase

Evil Angel has released Jonni Darkko’s latest showcase, "Kianna Dior Busty Cum Slut 11."

Ricky's Room Premieres Chanell Heart Showcase

Ricky’s Room has released the first installment of its Chanell Heart showcase, titled "Booty Like Water."

AEBN Reveals Avery Lust as Top Trans Star for Q3 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the third quarter of 2025, with Avery Lust landing atop the leaderboard.

Girlsway Debuts New Installment of 'Girls Try Anal'

Little Puck and Shay Sights star in the latest installment of Girlsway series "Girls Try Anal," titled "Housewife’s Anal Adultery."

FSC: California's Device-Based AV Law Does Not Apply to Adult

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) put out an advisory today explaining that California's new device-based age verification law does not apply to adult websites.

Chelsea Poe Releases 'Reclaimed: Long Live Queer Porn'

Director and performer Chelsea Poe has released her latest feature, titled “Reclaimed: Long Live Queer Porn.”

Show More