Posted on 10/31/2013 4:38:47 AM PDT by Sawdring
What is Echelon?
A global network of electronic spy stations that can eavesdrop on telephones, faxes and computers. It can even track bank accounts. This information is stored in Echelon computers, which can keep millions of records on individuals.
Officially, however, Echelon doesn't exist. Although evidence of Echelon has been growing since the mid-1990s, America flatly denies that it exists, while the UK government's responses to questions about the system are evasive.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
I just read the excerpt, but did they mention CARNIVORE? Both were Clinton era programs.
Back in the beginning days of Free Republic we had many discussions on the Echelon spy system and Agenda 21.
We were aware of it then and the potential that existed for a spy system that would (not could) be used against all free Americans to control them.
Now look at what we have......the NSA that will invade every personal aspect of our lives so that the U.S. Government gestapo can arrest us at will for things we may have done, said, or thought.
IT’S HERE!
Collection network has been around for half a century or more. Only technology and the extent to which the government is willing coerce ISPs, etc. has changed.
I don’t remember talk about Agenda 21, but Echelon for sure.
I've argued on this forum that the NSA's spying program was really a "maturation" of Echelon's capabilities.
Remember "kill Echelon day" back in 1998'ish? That was the day every internet user was supposed to include the 200 or so words/phrases that would trigger Echelon to archive and read their email. The purpose was to overwhelm Echelon and bring it down.
IMO, all this NSA stuff really is an expansion of Echelon's capabilities with more countries like Germany, UK, Spain, Italy etc.. signing-on to spy on their own citizens as well.
BTW: Merkel's protestations last week that she was "spied on" are laughable. Germany's "benefitted" from the NSA programs also --- they spy on their own citizens also so her faux outrage doesn't fly with me.
I concur.
Don’t forget Clinton/Gore Clipper Chip, Key Escrow.
Operation Mindcrime is now in effect.
Back when I knew someone at NSA they told me Echelon had the capability of monitoring over 90,000 overseas phone calls at a ime and that was back in the early 90’s! No telling how many now. Probably truly mind boggling...
I can remember a Radio talker by the name of Mark Scott in Detroit area who talked about Echelon back in the early 90’s. I’m sure it’s still in operation and it was keyed to certain words used in conversation.
A lodge buddy of my dad’s worked for NSA.
When asked about it, he liked to say there’s “no such agency.”
And don’t think for a second they are a “Rogue” agency.
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act
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The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) is a United States wiretapping law passed in 1994, during the presidency of Bill Clinton (Pub. L. No. 103-414, 108 Stat. 4279, codified at 47 USC 1001-1010).
CALEA’s purpose is to enhance the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance by requiring that telecommunications carriers and manufacturers of telecommunications equipment modify and design their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that they have built-in surveillance capabilities, allowing federal agencies to monitor all telephone, broadband internet, and VoIP traffic in real-time.
The original reason for adopting CALEA was the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s worry that increasing use of digital telephone exchange switches would make tapping phones at the phone company’s central office harder and slower to execute, or in some cases impossible. Since the original requirement to add CALEA-compliant interfaces required phone companies to modify or replace hardware and software in their systems, U.S. Congress included funding for a limited time period to cover such network upgrades. CALEA was passed into law on October 25, 1994 and came into force on January 1, 1995.
In the years since CALEA was passed it has been greatly expanded to include all VoIP and broadband internet traffic. From 2004 to 2007 there was a 62 percent growth in the number of wiretaps performed under CALEA — and more than 3,000 percent growth in interception of internet data such as email.[1]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CALEA
When I was in school, we had “F ECHELON day”. There was an email that had all of the supposed key words in it, and we forwarded it to all of our friends.
Kind of stupid in a way, but drunk engineers do odd things.
Echelon was in the news. I knew about it, and so did anybody with a brain.
I recall an unclassified security briefing (mid 90’s) in which we were told all electronic communications in the world were monitored, thus the need to be very careful even when discussing items that were unclassified standing alone. At that time it appeared that friendly countries were playing quite a game - the US wouldn’t spy on itself in violation of the law, they’d let someone else do it with the implicit agreement that if anything dangerous showed up, the US would be given sufficient information to act. Likewise with say, just a wild guess, the British.
From the Starr report:
“According to Ms. Lewinsky, she and the President had a
lengthy conversation that day. He told her that he suspected that a foreign embassy (he did not specify which one) was tapping his telephones, and he proposed cover stories. If ever questioned, she should say that the two of them were just friends. If anyone ever asked about their phone sex, she should say that they knew their calls were being monitored all along,and the phone sex was just a put-on.456
I just read the excerpt, but did they mention OMNIVORE? It replaced CARNIVORE?
I see this, however, as the logical extension of the "zero tolerance" mindset. Without the ability to decide what is or is not significant, everything gets lumped together; everyone gets snooped instead of those who are likely dangerous. Of course, it is the refuge of the intellectually lazy as well.
In terms of economic cost vs benefit, it is the equivalent of drilling an oil well every 100 ft. While you will likely find a lot of oil, you will drill a lot more dry holes in the long run. It is the dry holes which will break you.
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