page_title: Brazil–United States relations
section_title: Mass surveillance scandal
hierarchical_section_title: Brazil–United States relations / Current issues / Mass surveillance scandal
caption_attribution_description: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira pose for a photo before their bilateral meeting at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 2, 2017. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
context_page_description: Brazil–United States relations are the bilateral relations between Brazil and the United States. Relations have a long history. The United States was the first country to recognize Brazilian independence, and Brazil was the only South American nation to send troops to fight alongside the Allies in World War II. Though never openly confrontational towards each other, the two countries have had relatively-distant relations, with brief periods of co-operation. While Brazilian-American relations strengthened significantly after the election of Dilma Rousseff as president of Brazil in 2010 and the recent deterioration of Brazil–Iran relations, there has been a period of tension in relations over the June 2013 revelation of US mass surveillance programs in Brazil after there had been proof of American spying on Rousseff. Rousseff cancelled a scheduled visit to the US in September, 2013 in protest over such revelations. This tension receded somewhat in 2014 after it became clear that US President Barack Obama had not been directly involved in surveillance programs.
context_section_description: Brazil-U.S. relations soured in July 2013 when Glenn Greenwald wrote a series of articles in Brazil's O Globo newspaper revealing that Brazil was one of the largest targets of the U.S. National Security Agency's mass surveillance program. The Brazilian government denounced the NSA activities and said it would consider bringing the issue to the United Nations.
  On September 1, 2013, Brazil's Globo Network revealed the National Security Agency's spy program directly targeted the communications of president Dilma Rousseff and her top aides. The story was uncovered by Glenn Greenwald based on NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden. The documents described how the NSA used its computer programs to gain access to e-mails, telephone calls and text messages of Rousseff and her aides. On September 2, 2013, Rousseff called an emergency meeting with her top cabinet members to discuss the revelations. The U.S. ambassador to Brasília, Thomas Shannon, was summoned to Brazil's foreign ministry to explain the U.S. spying. The Brazilian government called a press conference to denounce the act as an "unacceptable violation of sovereignty" and to announce it had requested an immediate explanation from the U.S. government.
  On September 5, 2013, Brazil's government announced it had cancelled a trip to Washington by a team of aides who would prepare Rousseff's state visit to the U.S. in October. The cancellation was viewed as further sign that relations between the two countries were becoming increasingly frayed over the issue. President Rousseff met with President Obama at the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to discuss the incident. In a press conference before departing to Brasília, Rousseff revealed the conversation she had with President Obama, stating she expressed her "personal indignation and that of my country regarding the alleged spying against the government, embassies, companies and Brazilian citizens by the National Security Agency of the United States." According to Rousseff, she told President Obama that Brazil would raise the issue at the United Nations and other international organizations, and would propose rules and procedures regarding internet governance in order to stop the mass surveillance programs.
  On 24 September 2013, Rousseff gave an opening speech at the UN General Assembly condemning the United States' intelligence gathering methods in general but specifically of Brazilian citizens, corporations and government officials.
caption: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 2, 2017.
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