Abin says that 35 servers had access to spy software – 10/24/2023 – Power

Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) forwarded to the Federal Police the name of 35 servers that had some type of access to the FirstMile tool, the spy software that would have been used to illegally monitor journalists and political opponents during the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government.

Documents obtained by Sheet show that a total of 11 notebooks that were used in the agency to run this software were also delivered to the PF.

The names were transferred to the PF on March 24, just over a week after the Federal Police opened an investigation to investigate the suspected illegal use of the tool. The request for the names had been made by PF delegate Daniel Carvalho Brasil Nascimento, in a letter dated March 22.

In the response, signed by Abin number 2, Alessandro Moretti, the agency makes a series of observations in order to preserve the confidentiality of the data.

“Although the tool has been discontinued, cases and operations in which it was used are still ongoing and those that have already been closed remain confidential, either due to legal provisions or due to the need to maintain the security of this agency’s servers”, says the Abin’s craft.

The text suggests to the PF that the list of names and possible statements be included in separate files.

“The disclosure of these names represents a risk for the employees and their families, as well as a risk for the intelligence actions carried out by Abin”, highlighted the agency’s intelligence operations department.

The computers used with the FirstMile software were sent to the PF for inspection in June and July.

According to Abin agents, these computers were formatted after the discontinuation of use of FirstMile, in May 2021, but data relating to use was preserved on a server and subsequently forwarded to the PF.

They say that the formatting followed a standard protocol to enable the use of computers in new tasks, denying that data had been deleted with the aim of camouflaging the use of the software.

As shown by SheetAbin sent on April 11 to the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and the PF a spreadsheet containing the list of telephone numbers monitored by the body during the Bolsonaro government.

Documents mention that the list, sent via a pen drive, contained the telephone number, the case to which it was related and, in some situations, the name of the person using the device.

Abin agents dispute behind the scenes the need for the search and seizure requested by the PF and authorized by Alexandre de Moraes, from the STF, on the grounds that the agency never refused to respond to requests from the corporation or orders from the Judiciary.

Last Friday (20), the PF carried out an investigation that investigated the suspicion that the agency used the program, during the Bolsonaro government, to illegally monitor the cell phones of journalists, politicians and opponents of the former president.

25 search and seizure warrants and two preventive arrest warrants were executed. Moraes ordered the removal of Paulo Maurício Fortunato Pinto, number 3 at Abin, and four other employees.

In addition to suspicions about the Bolsonaro administration, during the period when Abin was commanded by now federal deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ), the investigation is taking place amid a dispute behind the scenes of the government.

The general director of the PF, Andrei Rodrigues, and the general director of Abin, Luiz Fernando Corrêa, occupy divergent camps within the Lula (PT) government.

On the PF side, the argument is that the investigation followed normal procedures and that the searches at Abin’s headquarters were necessary to collect information relevant to the investigation that is still ongoing.

The software allows access to geolocation data, but not the content of the devices — that is, it would not allow calls or conversations to be tapped.

The tool was acquired without bidding (allowed for intelligence services). FirstMile would have been used more than 30 thousand times during the period in which it was operational — 2019, 2020 and part of 2021 (until May). Of this total, 1,800 would target politicians, journalists and opponents of the Bolsonaro government.

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Case chronology

Mar 14, 2023

• The newspaper O Globo reveals that Jair Bolsonaro’s Abin used a program to monitor people’s locations via cell phones.

• The Israeli FirstMile program was acquired for R$5.7 million, at the end of Michel Temer’s (MDB) administration, and was used in 2019, 2020 and until May 2021, according to Abin.

• The tool allowed the approximate location of the target, through signals sent to cell phone antennas. To do this, all you had to do was enter your cell phone number into the system.

• The tool was acquired without bidding (allowed for intelligence services), based on law 8,666/93 (article 24, item IX), regulated by decree 2,295/97, amended by decree 10,631/2021.

Mar 15, 2023

• Minister Flávio Dino (Justice) orders the Federal Police to open an investigation to investigate the case.

Mar 22, 2023

• PF asks Abin to provide copies of the following data within 48 hours: 1) administrative procedures on the conduct of Abin servers related to the FirstMile program, 2) tool purchase procedure and 3) list of servers with access to it.

Mar 24, 2023

Abin sends the PF:

• Copy of the agency’s extraordinary correction on the case, completed the previous month (February 23).

• Copy of the FirstMile tool contracting process, in 2018.

• Copies of the records of two investigative investigations opened after the conclusion of the extraordinary correction.

• Name of servers that had some type of access to the tool.

April 11, 2023

• Abin sends Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), and the Federal Police a USB stick with a spreadsheet containing the number of monitored phones, associated with the cases that would have motivated the monitoring.

• The spreadsheet would contain more than 1,000 phones that were the target of more than 30,000 monitorings.

May 15, 2023

• Abin sends copies of data and restoration procedure documents to the FirstMile database to the PF.

5.jun.2023

• Abin sends the PF the list of previous justifications registered for monitoring phones using the First Mile tool.

• It also sends notebooks for forensic examinations, updates on ongoing investigations and administrative processes, in addition to copies of statements from civil servants given in these investigations.

11.Jul.2023

• Abin sends more notebooks for forensic examination and answers specific questions about users of the First Mile tool.