10/15/99

Is Big Brother Watching You

Neil McIntosh on the backlash against electronic espionage

A group of cyber activists is calling on internet users worldwide to help them `trip up' a mysterious global spy system managed by the US National Security Agency, and operated in part by Britain's GCHQ.

An increasing number of activists and politicians claim to have evidence that the system, called Echelon, monitors much of the world's email, web traffic, telephone conversation and other communications in an effort to uncover terrorists and enemies.

The monitoring system is said to be `routine and indiscriminate', and triggered by certain keywords in the traffic, like `terrorism', `bomb', `MI5' and `revolution'. The Hacktivism mailing list community has called on concerned net users to include the trigger words in their communications on Monday, and so overwhelm the system.

The event coincides with an attempt by activists to get the US congress to look into the affair.

After years of claims about the system, there is increasing mainstream willingness to accept that a global electronic snooping network exists. The British and US governments refuse to comment on the system.

The acceptance is largely thanks to charges raised in the European parliament last year, when it was alleged that the system was used by the US to get European government and industrial secrets.

Investigative reporter Duncan Campbell was commissioned by the parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment Panel (STOA) to look into the network. In his Interception Capabilities 2000 report, which was accepted by the committee in May, Campbell said he found `the first ever documentary evidence of the Echelon system'.

He also uncovered an attempt by a secret organisation - the International Law Enforcement Telecommunications Seminar - to have `back door' wiretap capabilities built into technology, including popular software packages and communication systems.

Australia's Defence Signals Directorate,which has been accused of involvement with Echelon, has admitted that the UK-USA agreement, which is reported to govern the system, did exist.

Such reports have fueled fears that the system is monitoring all internet communications - despite suggestions that the technology to cope with such a huge operation does not exist. Campaigning groups in the US, and some members of congress, are now calling for public accountability for the US part of the network.

Shari Steele, director of legal services for the online rights organisation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said she had heard that Echelon monitors `all of our communications'; if so, the governments involved had gone too far.

`The government does not have the legal right to snoop on law abiding citizens, even in its pursuit of criminals,' she said. `If it exists, and if it is as pervasive as it appears to be, the government has way overstepped its bounds in the interests of protecting us citizens.' US congressman Bob Barr is pushing for congress to look into Echelon. There could be a debate this autumn, says Lisa Dean of the Washington-based civil liberties group, the Free Congress Foundation.

She said there was disquiet in the US that communications could be open to prying by the governement. `A growing number of people do believe that their communications - wireless, email or land phones - are not secure,' she said.

`The government would say it is the conservatives who believe the `vast rightwing conspiracy' as Hillary Clinton has called it, but I think it's more widespread than that. Conservatives and liberals all believe the same thing - they all have this concern.

`Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia has taken this very seriously and has called for hearings in the House Government and Oversight community. To our knowledge, there will be hearings this fall [autumn].'

Dean says that congress is taking an interest in the capability of this system. House leader Dick Armey has sent a letter to attorney general Janet Reno asking what technological capabilities the intelligence community and law enforcement has.

`She has not answered the letter,' says Dean, `and the intelligence community has effectively told congress to go play in traffic because they're not giving any information.

`There's a battle - and the big question here is: if hearings are held, will intelligence testify? It could get rather ugly. But I don't think congress is going to give up so easily.'.

GUARDIAN 14/10/1999