You Paid For Your Smartphone But Whoever Controls The Software "Owns The Phone"

British spies can hack into your smartphones remotely with just a simple text message and can make audio recordings , take pictures or record video without owners knowing, former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden said on Monday.

No matter who's the owner the power to control over your smartphones is in their hand."They want to own your phone instead of you," Snowden said in an interview with the BBC's Panorama programme, referring to Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) agency.

Snowden also said that GCHQ used many different interception tools such as "Smurf Suite", after the blue cartoon characters, The Smurfs.
"Nosey Smurf" enabled spies to switch on a smartphone's microphone even if the phone was off, he claimed.

Some other programmes used by GCHQ were named as "Tracker Smurf" and "Dreamy Smurf", which allows them to switch on and off your smartphones remotely, Snowden said.
He said the text message sent by GCHQ to gain access to the phone would not be noticed by its owner. It all works in background of your smartphones as a backdoor service. 

"It's called an 'exploit'," he said.
"When it arrives at your phone it's hidden from you. It's invisible it doesn't display. You paid for your phone but whoever controls the software owns the phone," he added.

The government had declined to comment in line with usual policy on intelligence matters, the BBC said.
After leaking docments to the media about government spy programme, Edward Snowden, has been charged by the US with espionage and theft of government property, has been living in exile in Russia since June 2013.

The British Government & its security agency are planning on implying a new law that would give more powers to intelligence agencies to track online activity to investigate crime.