The US government is well-placed to blackmail "nearly every significant person in Latin America" because most of the region's electronic communications are routed through the United States, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says.
"Ninety-eight per cent of Latin American telecommunications to the rest of the world - that means SMS, phone, email etc. - passes through the US," Assange said in an interview with Russia's RT television on Friday.
US intelligence agencies "can easily intercept these communications ... and therefore gain understanding of how Latin America is behaving, where it is moving, its economic transfers, the activities of its leaders and major players," he said.
"That permits the US to predict in some ways the behaviour of Latin American leaders and interests, and it also permits them to blackmail. Nearly every significant person in Latin America is blackmailable by the US," the Australian journalist and transparency activist said.
Washington's quest to dominate the Internet and the international economy poses a threat to national sovereignty, Assange said.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
He spoke with RT from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he sought refuge in June 2012 after losing a long battle in the British courts to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning on allegations of sexual misconduct.
Assange, who denies the accusations, fears that once he is in Swedish custody, US prosecutors will indict him for espionage and Washington will pressure Stockholm into handing him over.
Ecuador granted Assange political asylum more than two years ago, but Britain refuses to give him safe conduct to leave the embassy.
Documents provided by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden reveal that Washington spied on the current presidents of Brazil and Mexico and on Brazilian state oil company Petrobras.
