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ECHELON: The NSA's Global Spying Network Continued from page 23 cooperate with counterpart signals intelli- tal development is the growing interest of gence organisations overseas under the members of the US Congress regarding intelligence agency in gaining access toa UKUSA relationship".” ECHELON and its surveillance capabili- : wa tha NGA ie thaw in tal development is the growing interest of members of the US Congress regarding ECHELON and its surveillance capabili- ties. Since the NSA is the prime mover in the UKUSA intelligence partnership, any hope of reining-in the activities of the US intelligence agencies will require the involvement of congressional oversight committees.” oo intelligence agency in gaining access toa user's personal information. * Intelligence sources reveal the increas- ing use of signals intelligence facilities to provide commercial advantages to domes- tic companies involved in international trade deals. The report provides original, new docu- mentation about the ECHELON system and its role in the interception of communi- cations satellites. This includes details concerning how intelligence agencies are able to intercept Internet traffic and digital communications, including screen shots of traffic analysis from NSA computer Parliamentary and Congressional Inquiries The growing concern about the use of ECHELON has finally extended to capitals and elected representatives around the world. Pressure from the international business community has been brought to bear on government officials in response to mounting evidence that industrial espi- onage by the US is costing European firms billions of dollars each year. Germany also followed the French example in June, when the cabinet issued a policy statement encouraging its companies and citizens to utilise encryption programs without restrictions. German business leaders were alerted to the extent of US commercial spying after an anonymous NSA employee admitted on German televi- sion in August 1998 that he had participat- ed in stealing industrial secrets from the wind generator manufacturer, Enercon, which were passed on to its main US com- petitor, Kenetech.* Perhaps the most important governmen- Endnotes 32. Brown v. Glines, 444 US 348 (1980). 33. Bamford, James, The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization, Penguin Books, New York, 1983, pp. 314, 459. 34. External Collection Program, US Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, "Supplementary Detailed Staff Reports on Intelligence and the Rights of Americans", Final Report, Book Ill, April 23, 1976, p. 765. 35. United States v. United States District Court, 407 US 297 (1972). 36. Bamford, ibid., pp. 370-373. 37. lbid., p. 381. 38. Halperin, Morton, Berman, Jerry et al., The Lawless State, Penguin, New York, 1976, p. 146. 39. Hersh, Seymour, "Huge CIA Operation Reported in US Against Antiwar Forces", New York Times, December 22, 1974, p. 1. Continued on page 85 systems. Official UKUSA Confirmation Privacy researchers were surprised in May when an Australian intelligence offi- cial confirmed the existence of the UKUSA intelligence-sharing treaty, in response to a formal information request by Channel 9 Sunday reporter Ross Coulthart. Martin Brady, director of the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), admitted in a letter dated 16 March that his agency "does NEXUS - 83 OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 1999