spFz R US

fV dQt HAt a sIkrativ glObal ilektronik spFiN sistam igzists. but iz H klAndestFn V.s. EJansi bihFnd it rWli bIiN Vzd t pramOt amerikan kamxSal intDests?

Az V rId His, a V.s. inteliJans EJansi iz probabli AnalFziN jP lyst fOn kYl, fAks, teleks P I-mEl. it mE sQnd pAranqd, but eni dQts abQt H igzistans v a SAdOi proJekt kYld /eSalon, dizFnd fP His veri pxpas, R rApidli disapCiN. n Az H ikstent v its espianyZ imxJiz, westDn guvDmants R dimyndiN t nO H rIzanz fP its Aktiviti n t hMm it iz ultimatli akQntabal.

if rIsantli prapOzd leJislESan iz pyst, amerikan spF cIfs n H /atxni /JenDal wil hAv t iksplEn Hemselvz n H glObal ilektronik sDvElans prOgrAm t /kongres. but H sIkrativ /nASanal /sikjUDiti /EJansi HAt fQndid /eSalon iznt mEkiN H kwest eni IziD. sO fR, H /n.s.E. hAz rifVzd t sE wot it duz, muc les iksplEn H eTikal rMlz it iz guvDnd bF P wot it duz wiH H infDmESan it gAHDz.

in /mE, H /n.s.E. stOnwYld /kongres. H /hQs /v /reprazentativz' /pxmanant /salekt /kamiti /on /inteliJans hit bAk bF pysiN an amendmant t H /inteliJans /YTDFzESan /Akt fP 2000. if H amendmant iz bAkt bF H /senat, Hen - bR a prezidenSal vItO - H /n.s.E. wil hAv 60 dEz t rivIl hQ it sEfgRdz H privasi v /V.s. sitizans.

sO H preSD iz bildiN up fP H /n.s.E. t kum klIn - n not Just in H /V.s. H /jUDapWn /pRlamant iz TretaniN t pUt preSD on /britan t stop fIdiN infDmESan on uHD /jUDapWn /Vnian kuntriz t H /V.s. "HX'z grOiN ANzFati HAt iz inkrIsiNli felt in /jUDap abQt /amerika Az H Onli rimEniN sMpDpQD," sez /Jon /pFk, n Analist wiH H /fedDESan /v /amerikan /sFantists, bEst in /woSiNtan /d.k.

diskuSan abQt H /n.s.E. ofan sQndz meladramAtik, P Ivan pAranqd, wiH its tYk v fxtiv, hF-tek meTadz. HAt hAz bIn pRt v H problam, sE kritiks. "t meni pIpal'z mFndz His woz Yl eks-fFlz stuf. His woz pDsIvd Az H pAranqd fAntasiz v investigativ ripPtDz n palitikal disentDz," sez /bAri /stFnhRt, an atxni wiH H /amerikan /sivil /libDtiz /Vnian in /nV /jPk hM hAz bIn presiN fP grEtD trAnspAransi At H /n.s.E. fP jCz yftD its kriESan in 1952, H /n.s.E. didnt Ivan admit its On igzistans. but grEtD guvDmant Opannas n H wxk v investigativ ripPtDz hAv skect in H brYd QtlFnz v H EJansi n its opDESanz.

H EJansi'z hedkPtDz iz At /fPt /mId, nC /woSiNtan /d.k. it hQziz abQt 20,000 implQIz n 20 sMpDkampVtDz. His iz wX mOst v H dEta from a wxldwFd netwxk v IvzdropiN Antenaz n sAtalFts iz ivencUali AnalFzd, akPdiN t /pFk. H EJansi hAz uHD fasilitiz Yl OvD H wxld, meni v Hem run in kOopDESan wiH /britan, /ostrElia, /nV /zIland n /kAnada undD a 1947 agrImant kYld UKUSA, wic kYlz fP guvSmants t wxk tageHD t kalekt infDmESan.

H /n.s.E. sez its afiSal iz SIGINT - signalz inteliJans. spasifikali, it pravFdz H "VnifFd PganFzESan n kantrOl v Yl foran signalz kalekSan n prOsesiN Akrivitiz in H /VnFtid /stEts", akPdiN t H EJansi'z websFt. but wot duz His mIn?

in a ripPt fP H /sivil /libDtiz /kamiti b H /jUDapWn /pRlamant, H /j.V.'z /sFantifik /n /teknikal /opSanz /asesmant (STOA) ofis hAz kum up wiH its On intxpritESan. akPdiN t H 1997 dokjUmant, updEtid in 1999, "Yl" ilektronik kamVnikESanz in /jUDap R rMtInli intDseptid bF a wxldwFd netwxk v spF sAtalFts n IvzdropiN Antenaz.

wun v H mEn kalekSan pqnts iz in /britan, At /menwiT /hil in /nPT /jPkSD. uHDz R in /byd /FbliN in /Jxmani, /misywa /X /bEs in /misywa, /JapAn, n in /Jeraldtan in /ostrElia. "it's simpli a JFant vAkVm klInD sukiN up kamVnikESanz," stFnhRt sez.

vqs prints

akPdiN t H ripPt, safistikEtid kampVtD softwX skAnz Yl H mesaJiz fP kI wxdz n frEziz kantEnd in a speSal list kantribjUtid bF vXias inteliJans EJansiz, in a bid t spot korispondans bF, sE, drug bAranz P terDists. kmanVnikESanz R YlsO tAgd akPdiN t H fOn numbD plEsiN P risIviN H kYl, n Ivan akPdiN t vqd prints v pDtikjUlD pIpal guvDmants R intDestid in lisaniN t.

/glin /fPd, a /lEbD /m.j.p., woz on H /kamiti /on /sivil /libDtiz /n /intxnal /afXz HAt ariJinali yskt fP H ripPt hI sez hI'z not nesaserili agenst ilektronik inteliJans gAHDiN. "F dOnt TiNk mF ilektDz hAv eni problam wiH ilektronik IvzdropiN. in fAkt, mF kanstitjUants wUd bI horifFd if ilektronik IvzdropiN wx not bIiN Vzd t fFnd H pxpatrEtDz v H /Oma bomiN, fP instans. but F dOnt TiNk HE wUd bI veri kIn on H kFnd v blANkit lisaniN HAt sImz t bI gOiN on."

sum membDz v H /jUDapWn /pRlamant R pDtikjUlDli kansxnd HAt H sDvElans sistam iz bIiN Vzd t gAHD Ikanomik inteliJans t help H amerikan difens mAnjUfAkcDD /rETion bIt H frenc kumpani /tompsan-s.s.f. t a $1.4 bilian dIl t pravFd rEdR t /brazil. anuHD rMmD iz HAt /Xbus lost a $1 bilian dIl t /bOiN n /makdonal /duglas bikoz v amerikan spFiN.

sO kUd wun fuNkSan v /eSalon bI t kalekt Ikanomik kumpaniz an advyntiJ OvD foran rFvalz? /pAtrik /pMl, an investigEtD fP H siliv rFts grMp /frI /kongres /fQndESan in /woSiNtan /d.k., sez in a ripPt on eSalon HAt an /Ikanomik inteliJans efDt bigAn wen H end v H /kOld /wP fPst H /n.s.E. n uHD /V.s. inteliJans EJansiz t lUk fP a nV rASanyl fP HX igzistans. "H salMSan woz t rIdifFn H nOSan v nASanal sikjUDiti t inklMd Ikanomik, kamxSal n kPpDat kansxnz," hI rFts in a ripPt, /eSalon: /amerika'z /sIkrat /klObal /sDvElans /netwxk (http://fly.hiwaay.net/~pspoole/echelon.html).

/pFk, on H uHD hAnd, bilIvz PganFzd Ikanomik espianyZ iz unlFkli t bI hApaniN. H /n.s.E. mFt nomitD kamxSal kamVnikESanz wen trFiN t trAk dQn H bANk akQnts v terDist PganFzESanz, fP instans. but hI duzant TiNk H tFz bitwIn guvDmant n biznis in H /V.s. R stroN inuf fP sistamAtik espianyZ t igzist. hQevD, sum wUd kwescan His asxSan, pDtikjUlDli wiH rigRd t liNks bitwIn H difens indastri n guvDmant.

in H /V.s., H revalESanz in /jUDap hAv promptid intDest in wot H /n.s.E. iz up t At hOm. foran inteliJans EJansiz, suc Az H /k.i.E. n H /n.s.E., R prahibitid from spFiN on amerikan rezidants - HAt's a Job rizxvd fP H /f.b.i. but H /n.s.E. YlmOst sxtanli suks up a lot v amerikan kamVnikESanz aloN wiH evriTiN els, n HX hAv bIn AligESanz HAt it sumtFmz sPts TrM trAfik fP damestik palitikal rIzanz. His woz wot promptid H /hQs /v /reprazentativz' kamiti on inteliJans t tAkal H /n.s.E. in /mE.

t H inkridVliti v sum /kongres membDz n abzxvDz, /n.s.E. afiSalz sed H infDmESan woz pratektid bF atxni klFant priviliJ bitwIn H EJansi n its lqDz. inteliJans kamiti cXman /pItD /gos diskrFbd H /n.s.E.'z RgjUmant Az "dVbias". akPdiN t /stFnhRt: "it woz an ikstrPdinDi klEm, givan wot iz bIiN yskt fP R H rMlz abQt wen intDsepSanz kAn bI mEd v /V.s. sitizanz."

mInwFl, yftD lyst munT's ilekSanz in /jUDap, /fPd iz wEtiN t sI if H nV pRlamant wil kantinV t pres fP ynsDz on H /n.s.E.'z Aktivitiz. hI TiNks it SUd, ispeSali, Az H /V.s. kantinVz t pUS fP limits on H Vs v inkripSan teknIks HAt kUd difIt its IvzdropiN efDts.

"if wI'D gOiN t lIv H kIz undD H dPmAt fP H /V.s. wI wont a gArantI HAt HE'D not gOiN t stIl H fAmili silvD," /fPd sez.

/kxt /klFnD

/nV /sFantist, 17T /JMlF 1999

(trAnslitDEtid bF /hV /bxkanhed, 1999)