IP: RE: Former spy divulges ECHELON details, from Danish news articles

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>Reply-To: <sbilen@umich.edu>
>From: "Sven G. Bilén" <sbilen@umich.edu>
>To: <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
>
>Dave,
>
>I think the person posting the articles should have mentioned that the
>articles are in the Danish "Ekstra Bladet", on par with the tabloid
>"National Enquirer" and some of the British tabloids (they even have a "Page
>9" Girl).  This puts the article in a little better frame for reading and
>interpreting the "facts".
>
>Sven G. Bilén                                             |\_-_/|
>Research Fellow                                            \___/
>University of Michigan                                     (. .)   --
>--------------------------------------------------------ooO-(_)- /    \ ---
>Space Physics Research Laboratory                           ''' |  **  |
>2455 Hayward, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143                          |  **  |
>(734) 615-3568, FAX (734) 763-5567                               \    /
>sbilen@umich.edu    http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~sbilen    --
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-ip-sub-1@admin.listbox.com
> > [mailto:owner-ip-sub-1@admin.listbox.com]On Behalf Of Dave Farber
> > Sent: Thursday, December 23, 1999 09:15 AM
> > To: ip-sub-1@majordomo.pobox.com
> > Subject: IP: Former spy divulges ECHELON details, from Danish news
> > articles
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> > >From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
> > >Subject: FC: Former spy divulges ECHELON details, from Danish
> > news articles
> > >
> > >*************
> > >
> > > >Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 14:36:03 +0100 (CET)
> > > >From: Bo Elkjaer <boo@apollon.datashopper.dk>
> > > >To: cypherpunks@toad.com, jya@jya.com, jya@pipeline.com
> > > >
> > > >Hello
> > > >A couple of months ago I promised that I would have some articles
> > > >translated that I and my colleague Kenan Seeberg has written since june
> > > >about the Echelon network, the UKUSA pact and danish
> > participation herein
> > > >as third party-member of the pact.
> > > >We have written approx. 50 articles (Something like that, anyway), and
> > > >have been very busy, so translation has been moving at a crawl. Anyway,
> > > >things should start to shape up, so the first articles should be online
> > > >within the next few weeks. We plan to put up the whole show on
> > our papers
> > > >website soon. Pictures, interviews, documents etc. Most of it
> > will remain
> > > >in danish though.
> > > >
> > > >Meanwhile, the danish parliament discussed Echelon SIGINT and
> > surveillance
> > > >two weeks ago. They all agreed that danish citizens communications are
> > > >intercepted on a regular basis - but they also agreed that they would
> > > >_not_ start any examinations of the interceptions. For fear of
> > disturbing
> > > >our allies, it seems.
> > > >
> > > >Copies of the debate are available online - in danish - at the
> > parliaments
> > > >own website www.folketinget.dk. I will pick out links and post
> > them later.
> > > >
> > > >On a side note the parliament agreed that strong free crypto
> > is the only
> > > >means of protection against these kinds of interception. There
> > will be a
> > > >hearing in Copenhagen about how strong unregulated encryption should be
> > > >made available to the danish people.
> > > >
> > > >No need to be too optimistic though, as there are opposing
> > trends within
> > > >government on the subject of unreguleated unbreakable encryption.
> > > >
> > > >I will post all translated articles here, as I get them. They will be
> > > >long. Please bear with any inconveniences.
> > > >
> > > >Regards
> > > >Bo Elkjaer, Denmark
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >ECHELON WAS MY BABY
> > > >Ekstra Bladet meets former Echelon spy. In spite of illness
> > and angst, she
> > > >now reveals how illegal political surveillance was carried out.
> > > >
> > > >by Bo Elkjær and Kenan Seeberg. Photos: Martin Lepee
> > > >
> > > >LAS VEGAS (Ekstra Bladet): ?Even though I felt bad about what we were
> > > >doing, I was very pleased with the professional part of my job. I don?t
> > > >mean to brag, but I was very good at what I did, and I
> > actually felt like
> > > >Echelon was my baby.?
> > > >       Ekstra Bladet meets Margaret Newsham in her home in a sleepy Las
> > > >Vegas suburb. For obvious reasons we are omitting the name of the town
> > > >where Margaret Newsham is trying to lead a normal life. She has never
> > > >mentioned her past to her neighbors.
> > > >       A past in which Margaret Newsham has been in close contact with
> > > >the very core of the most secretive world of all worlds.
> > > >       Margaret Newsham helped build the electronic surveillance system
> > > >known as Echelon.
> > > >       Today she has broken off connection with the world of espionage
> > > >and lives in constant fear that ?certain elements? in the NSA
> > or CIA will
> > > >try to silence her. As a result, she sleeps with a loaded
> > pistol under her
> > > >mattress, and her best friend is Mr. Gunther - a 120-pound
> > German shepherd
> > > >that was trained to be a guard and attack dog by a good friend in the
> > > >Nevada State Police.
> > > >       She sent the dog to a ?babysitter? before we arrived, since ?he
> > > >doesn?t let strangers come in to my house,? she says with a
> > faint smile.
> > > >       Only once before has Newsham told anybody about her work as an
> > > >Echelon spy: during closed, top-secret hearings held by the US
> > Congress in
> > > >1988. Today, Margaret breaks eleven years of silence by
> > telling the press
> > > >for the very first time about her work for the most extensive espionage
> > > >network in the world. Margaret Newsham decided to talk with
> > Ekstra Bladet
> > > >even though her doctor advised her not to meet with us. ?Since
> > I have high
> > > >blood pressure, my doctor thinks it?s risky for me to talk
> > with you, but
> > > >it?s a chance I?m willing to take.?
> > > >
> > > >DEATH SENTENCE
> > > >       Newsham has gone through hell ever since she was fired from her
> > > >job at Lockheed Martin where she designed programs for Echelon?s global
> > > >surveillance network. When asked to work on a project in 1984,
> > she refused
> > > >because she believed it could harm the US government.
> > > >       Shortly after, Echelon?s wirepullers in the National Security
> > > >Agency (NSA) made sure that she was fired by Lockheed Martin.
> > Immediately
> > > >afterward, she sued her former employer for wrongful dismissal and
> > > >contacted the internal security commission, DCAA, which arranged the
> > > >closed hearings.
> > > >       ?Ever since, I have felt like I was under so much
> > pressure that it
> > > >has had a fatal influence on my health,? says Margaret
> > Newsham, who up to
> > > >now has survived a seizure which left her totally paralyzed.
> > All she had
> > > >left was her sense of hearing when she was admitted to the hospital.
> > > >       ?I could hear the doctor pronouncing my death sentence, while my
> > > >husband and three children stood by my side. The only thing
> > that kept me
> > > >going was the thought that if I died, I would lose my case.
> > That thought
> > > >was what brought me back to life.?
> > > >       After regaining her mobility, Newsham suffered a cardiac arrest,
> > > >and two years ago she underwent surgery for a malignant tumor.
> > Today, she
> > > >dryly states that she is living on borrowed time, which
> > perhaps explains
> > > >why she chooses to stand forward at this time.
> > > >
> > > >SPYING ON POLITICIANS
> > > >       ?To me, there are only two issues at stake here: right or wrong.
> > > >And the longer I worked on the clandestine surveillance
> > projects, the more
> > > >I could see that they were not only illegal, but also
> > unconstitutional.?
> > > >       Margaret Newsham is not pleased with herself for
> > participating in
> > > >spying on ordinary people, politicians, interest groups and private
> > > >companies, which is exactly what she did for 10 years, from
> > 1974 to 1984.
> > > >       Both the satellites and the computer programs were developed at
> > > >Lockheed?s headquarters in Sunnyvale California, and in 1977, she was
> > > >stationed at the largest listening post in the world at Menwith Hill,
> > > >England.
> > > >       ?On the day at Menwith Hill when I realized in earnest
> > how utterly
> > > >wrong it was, I was sitting with one of the many
> > ?translators?. He was an
> > > >expert in languages like Russian, Chinese and Japanese.
> > Suddenly he asked
> > > >me if I wanted to listen in on a conversation taking place in
> > the US at an
> > > >office in the US Senate Building. Then I clearly heard a
> > southern American
> > > >dialect I thought I had heard before.?
> > > >       ?Who is that?? I asked the translator who told me that it was
> > > >Republican senator Strom Thurmond. ?Oh my gosh!? I thought.
> > We?re not only
> > > >spying on other countries, but also on our own citizens. That?s when I
> > > >realized in earnest that what we were doing had nothing to do with
> > > >national security interests of the US.?
> > > >
> > > >KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
> > > >In all its complicated simplicity, the American intelligence
> > agency, NSA,
> > > >together with intelligence agencies in England, Canada,
> > Australia and New
> > > >Zealand, has established a system of satellites and computer
> > systems that
> > > >can monitor by and large all electronic communication in the
> > world: phone
> > > >conversations, e-mails, telexes and telefaxes. A number of
> > other countries
> > > >are affiliated as third or fourth party participants,
> > including Denmark.
> > > >       The fundamental concept of the system is to get access to all
> > > >important political movements in hostile and allied countries
> > alike and to
> > > >keep an eye on all important economic movements. Knowledge is
> > power, and
> > > >the NSA knows it. Furthermore, NSA?s spies function as the only primary
> > > >authority to supervise who receives what information and what
> > it is used
> > > >for.
> > > >?Even then, Echelon was very big and sophisticated. As early as 1979 we
> > > >could track a specific person and zoom in on his phone
> > conversation while
> > > >he was communicating. Since our satellites could in 1984 film a postage
> > > >stamp lying on the ground, it is almost impossible to imagine how
> > > >all-encompassing the system must be today.?
> > > >
> > > >ECHELON WAS NSA?S IDEA
> > > >       Who came up with the name Echelon?
> > > >       ?The NSA. Lockheed Martin?s alphanumeric code was P415.
> > > >       What did you actually do?
> > > >       ?Unfortunately, I can?t tell you all my duties. I am still bound
> > > >by professional secrecy, and I would hate to go to prison or
> > get involved
> > > >in any trouble, if you know what I mean. In general, I can
> > tell you that I
> > > >was responsible for compiling the various systems and programs,
> > > >configuring the whole thing and making it operational on main frames
> > > >[large computers, ed.].?
> > > >       Which part of the system is named Echelon?
> > > >       ?The computer network itself. The software programs are known as
> > > >SILKWORTH and SIRE, and one of the most important surveillance
> > satellites
> > > >is named VORTEX. It intercepts things like phone conversations.?
> > > >
> > > >APPROVED BY THE CIA
> > > >       You worked as an agent for the NSA, but were employed
> > by a private
> > > >company?
> > > >       ?Yes, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between NSA
> > > >agents and civilians employed by Lockheed Martin, Ford and IBM. The
> > > >borderlines are very vague. I had one of the highest security
> > > >classifications which required the approval of the CIA, the
> > NSA, the Navy
> > > >and the Air Force. The approval included both a lie detector
> > test, and an
> > > >expanded personal history test in which my family and
> > acquaintances were
> > > >discretely checked by the security agency.?
> > > >       The sky darkens over the cascading neon lights of Las Vegas when
> > > >Margaret Newsham tells of countless infringements of security
> > regulations
> > > >and about her colleague who suffered brain damage when she
> > partipated in
> > > >the development of the Stealth bomber. Though Margaret Newsham
> > is totally
> > > >exhausted, she also seems relieved.
> > > >       ?This is the first time I have ever told anyone some of
> > the things
> > > >I told you today. But now I want to get Mr. Gunther soon so I feel safe
> > > >again. She measures her blood pressure and looks very alarmed.
> > > >       ?I had better go to the doctor tomorrow morning, so maybe we
> > > >should meet later on in the day.?
> > > >       When she returns with Mr. Gunther an hour later, the
> > dog inspects
> > > >every room before Margaret goes in. The last thing she does
> > before falling
> > > >asleep on her king size bed is to check her pistol to make sure it is
> > > >still loaded.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >Facts:
> > > >Lockheed Martin is the largest supplier of munitions to the US military
> > > >services and to their intelligence agencies, the NSA and the CIA.
> > > >       During the eighties, Lockheed Martin took over LORAL
> > Space Systems
> > > >and Ford Aerospace which also deliver monitoring equipment to the
> > > >espionage agencies. Margaret Newsham worked for the NSA through her
> > > >employment at Ford and Lockheed from 1974 to 1984. In 1977 and 1978,
> > > >Newsham was stationed at the largest listening post in the world at
> > > >Menwith Hill, England. She received on-the-job training at NSA
> > > >headquarters at Fort George Meade in Maryland, USA.
> > > >       Ekstra Bladet has Margaret Newsham?s stationing orders
> > from the US
> > > >Department of Defense. She possessed the high security
> > classification TOP
> > > >SECRET CRYPTO.
> > > >       According to information found by Ekstra Bladet in the
> > Pentagon?s
> > > >databases, the NSA had 38,613 employees in 1995. This figure does not
> > > >include the many employees at private companies who work for the NSA.
> > > >       Ekstra Bladet has documented the existence of Echelon in a long
> > > >series of articles over the last months.
> > > >       Denmark is affiliated with the Echelon network as a third party,
> > > >and the most important Danish listening post is located at
> > Aflandshage on
> > > >the island of Amager.
> > > >
> > > >Copyright 1999 - Ekstra Bladet - Denmark
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >>>Bevar naturen: Sylt et egern.<<
> > > >>>URL: http://www.datashopper.dk/~boo/index.html<<
> > > >>>PGP-encrypted mail welcomed and preferred.<<
> > >
> > >
> > > >Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 14:39:10 +0100 (CET)
> > > >From: Bo Elkjaer <boo@apollon.datashopper.dk>
> > > >To: cypherpunks@toad.com, jya@jya.com, jya@pipeline.com
> > > >Subject: INTERVIEW Pt. II: I SOLD MY LIFE TO BIG BROTHER - >
> > > >Part II of interview w. Margaret Newsham
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >I SOLD MY LIFE TO BIG BROTHER
> > > >"Denmark's ministers can believe whatever they want to. I know Echelon
> > > >exists, because I helped make the system." For the second day running,
> > > >former Echelon spy Margaret Newsham tells about the 'Black World' of
> > > >espionage - and the fatal consequences it is had on her life.
> > Half of her
> > > >espionage colleagues are dead today.
> > > >"The surveillance was incredibly target-oriented. We were capable of
> > > >singling out an individual or organization and monitoring all
> > electronic
> > > >communication - real time - and all the time. The person was monitored
> > > >without ever having a chance to discover it, and most of the
> > information
> > > >was sent with lightening speed to another station using the enormous
> > > >digital capacity at our command. Everything took place without a search
> > > >warrant."
> > > >Was all the information forwarded to NSA headquarters at Fort
> > George Meade
> > > >in Maryland?
> > > >"Not all of it, but quite a lot."
> > > >Does the system use programs that are capable of virtually scouring the
> > > >airwaves based on certain categories and trigger words?
> > > >"That's one of the ways it functions, yes. It's like an Internet search
> > > >engine. By restricting your search to specific numbers,
> > persons or terms,
> > > >you get results that are all related to whatever you enter.
> > > >
> > > >BREACH OF SECURITY
> > > >Ekstra Bladet meets the former surveillance spy, Margaret
> > Newsham, in her
> > > >home just outside Las Vegas. By talking to Ekstra Bladet, she
> > chooses to
> > > >break her silence and tell us as much as she considers to be reasonably
> > > >safe. Because Newsham is still subject to the omertà of the
> > intelligence
> > > >services. According to this stringent code of silence, she is
> > not allowed
> > > >to reveal anything about her espionage activities for the NSA.
> > > >"But it is hard for me to live with the fact that I sold my life and my
> > > >freedom of speech to the largest intelligence service of the US
> > > >government." On the whole, it is difficult for Margaret
> > Newsham to lead a
> > > >normal life, even though she wants to do that most of all. In 1984, she
> > > >was dismissed by Lockheed Martin, which built espionage
> > equipment for NSA.
> > > >Ultimately, she refused to work on a project which she felt
> > was a security
> > > >risk. She was 'terminated' as they called it - and she sued them for
> > > >wrongful dismissal.
> > > >
> > > >BILLION DOLLAR SWINDLERS
> > > >"I experienced security breaches almost every day both at Lockheed's
> > > >headquarters in Sunnyvale, California and at Menwith Hill, England.
> > > >Sometimes it was utterly absurd. At a barbecue party held by colleagues
> > > >from the department responsible for developing the 'invisible' Stealth
> > > >bomber, the barbecue kettle was made of the same material that made the
> > > >bomber invisible to hostile radar systems. Another time, somebody had
> > > >coffee mugs made and all of them were covered with prints of highly
> > > >classified Echelon stations. But they were also involved in actual
> > > >swindling. Lockheed Martin undercut other companies to get NSA project
> > > >contracts, after which they illegally transferred money and manpower to
> > > >meet the contract. Since they could swindle others for hundreds of
> > > >millions of dollars, they were capable of anything. That made them very
> > > >deceitful, and in my eyes, they jeopardized the security of the United
> > > >States Government."
> > > >Was the US Government informed about the clandestine projects?
> > > >"No. That's why we called them 'Black Programs". The government didn't
> > > >really know what was happening or what the many billions were actually
> > > >being used for. And I felt very loyal both to the government and to the
> > > >American Constitution, which was constantly being infringed.
> > The world of
> > > >espionage was also called 'The Black World' because most of
> > the operations
> > > >were carried out in secrecy, beyond any control."
> > > >Since her dismissal, Margaret Newsham has been under heavy pressure,
> > > >because her case against Lockheed Martin could mean that an open court
> > > >case would shed light on the NSA's 'black projects'. Among
> > other things,
> > > >the case deals with swindling for more than 10 billion DKK (ca. 1.4
> > > >billion USD), and for the time being, her lawyer has provided her with
> > > >legal assistance that is the equivalent of 140 million DKK
> > (ca. 20 million
> > > >USD).
> > > >
> > > >PREMATURE DEATHS
> > > >The case has had a fatal effect on her health. Since '84 she has had a
> > > >seizure that left her totally paralyzed, survived a cardiac
> > arrest, and on
> > > >top of everything else is suffering from cancer. Today, she lives on
> > > >borrowed time and suffers from high blood pressure.
> > > >"It didn't help any when my husband asked for a divorce after I had
> > > >survived my cardiac arrest. He is chief of security at
> > Lockheed Martin and
> > > >has also been under a lot of pressure. He was grossly harassed
> > because of
> > > >his affiliation with me," Newsham says.
> > > >She lives alone now and has struggled to maintain contact with
> > her three
> > > >children and six grandchildren. Today, she lives in a quiet Las Vegas
> > > >suburb. Not even her neighbors know about her past.
> > > >"NSA's activities have not only affected me, but also my
> > former espionage
> > > >colleagues at Lockheed. Nearly half of the people I worked with on
> > > >clandestine projects are either dead or mortally ill today.
> > For example,
> > > >my former boss on the Echelon project, Robert Looper, died
> > prematurely of
> > > >heart failure, and Kay Nickerson, who worked on developing the Stealth
> > > >bomber, died of brain damage."
> > > >But how could half of your former colleagues die prematurely?
> > > >"I don't know how to explain it, but at one point we discovered that
> > > >Lockheed's headquarters in Sunnyvale are built on top of a highly
> > > >radioactive dumping ground."
> > > >What did they die of?
> > > >"Heart failure, cancer, inexplicable seizures and brain
> > damage. Even I am
> > > >going to die of cancer before my time. But I have my lawyers, my doctor
> > > >and my children and grandchildren to support me. They are the
> > people I am
> > > >fond of."
> > > >What gives you the courage to continue?
> > > >"The fact that the NSA, CIA and NRO (National Reconnaissance
> > Organization)
> > > >are carrying on illegal espionage against the rest of the
> > world. They say
> > > >they are doing it to catch drug criminals, gunrunners and the like. But
> > > >that doesn't give them the right to do what they're doing. They are
> > > >constantly breaking the law."
> > > >
> > > >ECHELON IN DENMARK
> > > >In Denmark, leading politicians and ministers deny any knowledge of
> > > >Echelon beyond what they read in the newspapers.
> > > >"Now they can read about me then. I am living proof of Echelon's
> > > >existence. I configured and ran a lot of Echelon's programs." Margaret
> > > >Newsham shows us the order that stationed her at Menwith Hill, the
> > > >specifications for some Echelon programs and other internal documents.
> > > >We found discarded computer remnants at the Aflandshage
> > Listening Post in
> > > >Denmark designated "VAX RED". Does that mean anything to you?
> > > >"Yes, as a matter of fact it means two things. You see, I worked on VAX
> > > >computers myself, and they were used on the Echelon project.
> > > >"The color RED probably refers to the classification level. Because the
> > > >security system is based on the fact that only very few people have an
> > > >overall picture of everything that goes on. Therefore, some
> > employees have
> > > >red tags, some purple, some blue and so on. That means that
> > they are only
> > > >allowed to work with certain parts of the projects, i.e. the
> > ones that are
> > > >classified under the same color. As a result, very few employees have a
> > > >complete picture of what is really going on. Since my tag had all the
> > > >colors, I had a good overview. I was also the one who made the back-up
> > > >files."
> > > >
> > > >BIG BROTHER CONTROLS US
> > > >Can you understand how some people find it hard to believe
> > that a system
> > > >like this really exists?
> > > >"Yes, but it is real. We are spying on our own citizens and the rest of
> > > >the world - even our European allies. If I say 'Amnesty' or 'Margaret
> > > >Newsham', it is intercepted, analyzed, coordinated, forwarded and
> > > >registered - if it is of interest to the intelligence agencies. I spoke
> > > >with a radiologist recently, who had done exactly the same thing I had,
> > > >only ten years later, in 1991, under 'Operation Desert Storm'.
> > If only I
> > > >could tell you everything, then you would understand that Echelon is so
> > > >big, it's immensity almost defies comprehension." Margaret Newsham does
> > > >not regret that she has been a pariah in the US intelligence community
> > > >since her break with the NSA in 1984. A break that cost her
> > her husband,
> > > >her job and her health.
> > > >Is there anything you would you have done differently?
> > > >"Not for a second. It is important for the truth to come out. I don't
> > > >believe we should put up with being controlled by 'Big Brother' in the
> > > >future. But we put up with it now."
> > > >
> > > >EXTRA FACTS
> > > >For ten years, Newsham worked for the US munitions and computer firms
> > > >Signal Science, Ford Aerospace and Lockheed Martin.
> > > >They had contracts for the development and upgrading of
> > Echelon satellites
> > > >and computers which the companies designed for the intelligence agency
> > > >NSA.
> > > >The NSA cooperates closely with the CIA and NRO (National
> > Reconnaissance
> > > >Organization).
> > > >For two years, Newsham shared the responsibility for the day-to-day
> > > >functioning of Echelon's computer network at Menwith Hill, England.
> > > >In classified documents, which are in the possession of Ekstra Bladet,
> > > >Menwith Hill is referred to as 'the largest station in the service'.
> > > >Denmark participates on a third-party basis in UKUSA, an electronic
> > > >surveillance agreement.
> > > >
> > > >BY BO ELKJÆR AND KENAN SEEBERG
> > > >
> > > >COPYRIGHT 1999: EKSTRA BLADET - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >>>Bevar naturen: Sylt et egern.<<
> > > >>>URL: http://www.datashopper.dk/~boo/index.html<<
> > > >>>PGP-encrypted mail welcomed and preferred.<<
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 14:47:41 +0100 (CET)
> > > >From: Bo Elkjaer <boo@apollon.datashopper.dk>
> > > >To: cypherpunks@toad.com, jya@jya.com, jya@pipeline.com
> > > >Subject: MINISTER ADMITS: Denmark participates in global surveillance -
> > >Sigint/Surveillance/Denmark
> > > >
> > > >Printed sept. 27. 99:
> > > >
> > > >THE MINISTER FOR THE DEFENCE ADMITS.
> > > >"Denmark participates in a global surveillance system," admitted the
> > > >Minister for the Defense Hans Hækkerup under heavy pressure.
> > > >As one of the first governments in the clandestine Western intelligence
> > > >cooperation, Hækkerup acknowledged during a joint council in the Danish
> > > >Parliament's Europe Committee last Friday that the FE
> > (Intelligence Agency
> > > >of the Danish Armed Forces) participates in the interception
> > of electronic
> > > >communication.
> > > >Does this occur in cooperation with the NSA, which manages the
> > so-called
> > > >Echelon?
> > > >"I can't confirm that, but I can tell you that the FE has been
> > > >intercepting signals ever since the Second World War - and we're still
> > > >doing it."
> > > >Can you confirm that this takes place at Aflandshage on the island of
> > > >Amager?
> > > >"Yes, it does, and the facilities out there have been continuously
> > > >expanded over the years. We both collect and process information from
> > > >satellites. "
> > > >Is this cooperation in compliance with the law?
> > > >"Yes, it is."
> > > >The Minister for Defense was summoned to a joint council by parliament
> > > >member Keld Albrechtsen who was quite astonished by the Minister's
> > > >admissions. Up to now, the ministries of Defense, Justice and Research
> > > >have actually denied any knowledge of the controversial global
> > > >surveillance systems.
> > > >The Minister stated that such satellite systems exist and that
> > Denmark is
> > > >included in them, but that this system is not called Echelon. He also
> > > >stated that we have the capacity to collect and exchange
> > information with
> > > >the intelligence agencies of other countries.
> > > >Do you have any guarantee that Danish citizens are not being illegally
> > > >monitored and registered?
> > > >"No, unfortunately." He evaded the question of whether the law
> > is obeyed
> > > >in regards to the cooperation with the secret services of
> > other countries.
> > > >So this system provides no guarantee for the security of life
> > and property
> > > >for the ordinary citizen. He also to refused to go into detail on the
> > > >question of whether the operations occur in cooperation with other
> > > >countries. Another parliament member of the Europe Committee, Knud Erik
> > > >Hansen, asked at the meeting if the facilities also spied on the
> > > >commercial satellites, i.e. the ones that transmit signals
> > like telephone
> > > >conversations.
> > > >He unfortunately evaded that question, too, but now the Minister for
> > > >Justice must be brought to order so he can assure us that both
> > private and
> > > >commercial communication is not being monitored illegally.
> > > >BY BO ELKJÆR AND KENAN SEEBERG
> > > >COPYRIGHT 1999: EKSTRA BLADET - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >>>Bevar naturen: Sylt et egern.<<
> > > >>>URL: http://www.datashopper.dk/~boo/index.html<<
> > > >>>PGP-encrypted mail welcomed and preferred.<<
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 14:42:30 +0100 (CET)
> > > >From: Bo Elkjaer <boo@apollon.datashopper.dk>
> > > >To: cypherpunks@toad.com, jya@jya.com, jya@pipeline.com
> > > >Subject: THEY SPY ON ORDINARY PEOPLE - Sigint/Surveillance/Denmark
> > > >
> > > >Interview w. Duncan Campbell
> > > >
> > > >THEY SPY ON ORDINARY PEOPLE
> > > >"They spy on companies and interest groups," says Duncan
> > Campbell, who has
> > > >looked at the listening post at Aflandshage near Copenhagen in Denmark.
> > > >"The facilities at Aflandshage are hardly distinguishable from
> > the Echelon
> > > >installation in New Zealand."
> > > >Physicist and technology expert Duncan Campbell has no doubt.
> > Denmark is
> > > >involved in illegal surveillance together with the other primary
> > > >participants in the so-called Echelon system, the US, England,
> > Australia,
> > > >Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
> > > >"My best guess is that the facilities at Aflandshage were additionally
> > > >expanded shortly after the end of the Cold War. In 1990 or perhaps a
> > > >little later."
> > > >What does that mean?
> > > >"Well it means that Aflandshage is in any case not part of
> > NATO's defense
> > > >against Russia and the other East Bloc countries like it was before.
> > > >Everything indicates that the large parabolic antennas and accompanying
> > > >buildings are used in the same way as the facilities in the other
> > > >countries: to intercept communication from commercial satellites that
> > > >transmit the phone and fax conversations of ordinary people. And to
> > > >forward the intercepted information."
> > > >
> > > >BREACH OF DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
> > > >In addition to his physics degree, Duncan Campbell is also a journalist
> > > >and has closely cooperated with a group of British women who are
> > > >protesting against the largest listening station in the
> > Echelon system. It
> > > >is located in a beautiful area on Menwith Hill near
> > Birmingham, England.
> > > >With the help of cunning tricks, the women have sneaked into
> > the base more
> > > >than a hundred times and removed thousands of classified documents from
> > > >the secretive base. With the help of these papers, and from information
> > > >from anonymous agents, Campbell has acquired a unique
> > knowledge which last
> > > >year resulted in an extensive report on the global
> > surveillance, ordered
> > > >by the European Parliament.
> > > >"The problem is that most democratic countries have laws that
> > protect the
> > > >sanctity of private life and do not allow the lawful political
> > activities
> > > >of their citizens to be monitored and registered. In order to monitor
> > > >someone, you must have grounds for suspicion and be authorized
> > to do so by
> > > >a judge. Echelon is a total breach of these principles. A
> > great number of
> > > >categories are coded into the system, and under each category there are
> > > >even more code words. Many of the words are used in normal daily
> > > >conversation. Not only the rights of ordinary people are infringed;
> > > >Echelon also monitors interest groups like Amnesty International,
> > > >Greenpeace and private companies. Several examples of
> > industrial espionage
> > > >exist in which the US intelligence service has passed on
> > information to US
> > > >companies that was intercepted from satellites.
> > > >
> > > >BREAKS THE LAW
> > > >How can you be so sure that this is possible?
> > > >I have seen the footage taken inside the systems while they were in
> > > >operation. Both from Menwith Hill, England and Waihopa, New Zealand.
> > > >TV-Free from New Zealand succeeded in filming in the Waihopa
> > base, and the
> > > >operations room was almost completely devoid of staff. The process is
> > > >totally automated and operates at lightening speed. In addition, I also
> > > >made a documentary for which we set up a tiny parabolic
> > antenna beside the
> > > >base on Menwith Hill. The information it intercepted was unbelievable
> > > >after we positioned it to listen in on the same satellite at which the
> > > >large parabolic antennas in the base are aimed."
> > > >Isn't it reasonable that the system has the capability to monitor
> > > >terrorists and the like?
> > > >"Sure it is. But there is all the difference in the world between
> > > >conventional surveillance and monitoring and this system in
> > which the law
> > > >is consistently and constantly being broken by the very people
> > who should
> > > >be making sure that others obey the law. They are purely and simply
> > > >exchanging information which is illegal for the local intelligence
> > > >agencies in the individual countries to collect."
> > > >Is it still called Echelon?
> > > >"The code name Echelon is only part of the entire system, and
> > everything
> > > >seems to indicate that they have switched codes. Last I heard it was
> > > >'Magistrand'."
> > > >
> > > >BY BO ELKJÆR AND KENAN SEEBERG
> > > >COPYRIGHT 1999: EKSTRA BLADET - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >>>Bevar naturen: Sylt et egern.<<
> > > >>>URL: http://www.datashopper.dk/~boo/index.html<<
> > > >>>PGP-encrypted mail welcomed and preferred.<<
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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