CovertAction Quarterly No. 59 Exposing the Global Surveillance System, continued ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "COMMUNICATION" satellites); under the oceans and THROUGH SATELLITES Leitrim, just south microwave networks over The next component of Ottawa in Canada land. Heavy cables, laid of the ECHELON (which appears to across seabeds between system intercepts a intercept Latin countries, account for range of satellite American much of the world's communications not satellites); Bad international carried by Aibling in Germany; communications. After Intelsat.In addition and Misawa in they come out of the to the UKUSA northern Japan. water and join stations targeting land-based microwave Intelsat satellites, A group of networks they are very there are another facilities that tap vulnerable to five or more directly into interception. The stations homing in land-based microwave networks are on Russian and other telecommunications made up of chains of regional systems is the final microwave towers communications element of the relaying messages from satellites. These ECHELON system. hilltop to hilltop stations are Menwith Besides satellite (always in line of Hill in northern and radio, the other sight) across the England; Shoal Bay, main method of countryside. These outside Darwin in transmitting large networks shunt large northern Australia quantities of quantities of (which targets public, business, communications across a Indonesian and government country. Interception of communications is a them gives combination of water cables ------------------- access to also an obvious possibly far removed. international target for Although it sounds undersea large-scale technically very communications (once interception of difficult, microwave they surface) domestic interception from space communications. by United States spy All five UKUSA satellites also occurs. agencies have been Because the The worldwide network of responsible for facilities required facilities to intercept monitoring to intercept radio these communications is diplomatic cables and satellite largely undocumented, from all Japanese communications use and because New posts. large aerials and Zealand's GCSB does not dishes that are participate in this type and to international difficult to hide of interception, my communication trunk for too long, that inside sources could not lines across network is help either. continents. They are reasonably well documented. But all NO ONE IS SAFE FROM A that is required to MICROWAVE intercept land-based A 1994 expos­ of the communication Canadian UKUSA agency, networks is a Spyworld, co-authored by building situated one of along the microwave route or a hidden cable running underground from the legitimate network into some anonymous building, ------------------- its former staff, converge on the land-based Mike Frost, gave the capital city, telecommunications first insights into embassy buildings appears to be done at how a lot of foreign can be an ideal special secret microwave site. Protected by intelligence facilities. interception is done diplomatic The US, UK, and Canada (see p. 18). It privilege, they are geographically well described UKUSA allow interception placed to intercept the "embassy collection" in the heart of the large amounts of the operations, where target country.The world's communications sophisticated Canadian embassy that cross their receivers and collection was territories. processors are requested by the NSA secretly transported to fill gaps in the The only public reference to their countries' American and British to the Dictionary system overseas embassies embassy collection anywhere in the world was in diplomatic bags operations, which in relation to one of and used to monitor were still occurring these facilities, run by various in many capitals the GCHQ in central communications in around the world London. In 1991, a former foreign capitals. when Frost left the British GCHQ official CSE in 1990. spoke anonymously to Since most Separate sources in Granada Television's countries' microwave Australia have World networks revealed that the DSD also engages in embassy collection. On the territory of UKUSA nations, the interception of ------------------- in Action about the business deals, even microwave links agency's abuses of the birthday converging on an power. He told the greetings, they take isolated tower connected program about an everything. They underground into the anonymous red brick feed it into the station. building at 8 Palmer Dictionary." What Street where GCHQ the documentary did The NSA Menwith Hill secretly intercepts not reveal is that station, with 22 every telex which Dictionary is not satellite terminals and passes into, out of, just a British more than 4.9 acres of or through London, system; it is buildings, is feeding them into UKUSA-wide. undoubtedly the largest powerful computers and most powerful in the with a program known Similarly, British UKUSA network. Located as "Dictionary." The researcher Duncan in northern England, operation, he Campbell has several thousand explained, is described how the US kilometers from the staffed by carefully Menwith Hill station Persian Gulf, it was vetted British in Britain taps awarded the NSA's Telecom people: directly into the "Station of the Year" "It's nothing to do British Telecom prize for 1991 after its with national microwave network, role in the Gulf War. security. It's which has actually Menwith Hill assists in because it's not been designed with the interception of legal to take every several major microwave communications single telex.And in another way as well, they take by everything: the embassies, all the ------------------- serving as a ground All of them, introduction of this station for US including a separate system in the early electronic spy network of stations 1980s. James Bamford satellites. These that intercepts long wrote at that time about intercept microwave distance radio a new worldwide NSA trunk lines and short communications, have computer network range communications their own Dictionary codenamed Platform such as military computers connected "which will tie together radios and walkie into ECHELON. 52 separate computer talkies. Other ground systems used throughout stations where the In the early 1990s, the world. Focal point, satellites' opponents of the or `host environment,' information is fed Menwith Hill station for the massive network into the global obtained large will be the NSA network are Pine Gap, quantities of headquarters at Fort run by the CIA near internal documents Meade. Among those Alice Springs in from the facility. included in Platform central Australia and Among the papers was will be the British the Bad Aibling a reference to an SIGINT organization, station in Germany. NSA computer system GCHQ." Among them, the called Platform. The various stations and integration of all LOOKING IN THE operations making up the UKUSA station DICTIONARY the ECHELON network computers into The Dictionary computers tap into all the main ECHELON probably are connected via highly components of the occurred with the world's telecommunications networks. ------------------- encrypted UKUSA available in the work begins. Analysts communications that data bases, each scroll through screen link back to with a four-digit after screen of computer data bases code. For instance, intercepted faxes, in the five agency 1911 might be e-mail messages, etc. headquarters. This Japanese diplomatic and, whenever a message is where all the cables from Latin appears worth reporting intercepted messages America (handled by on, they select it from selected by the the Canadian CSE), the rest to work on. If Dictionaries end up. 3848 might be it is not in English, it Each morning the political is translated and then specially communications from written into the "indoctrinated" and about Nigeria, standard format of signals intelligence and 8182 might be intelligence reports analysts in any messages about produced anywhere within Washington, distribution of the UKUSA network either Ottawa,Cheltenham, encryption in entirety as a Canberra, and technology. "report," or as a Wellington log on at summary or "gist." their computer They select their terminals and enter subject category, INFORMATION CONTROL the Dictionary get a "search A highly organized system. After keying result" showing how system has been in their security many messages have developed to control passwords, they been caught in the what is being searched reach a directory ECHELON net on that for by that lists the subject, and then different categories the day's of intercept ------------------- each station and who organized into the organizations, country can have access to same categories, names, and subject it. This is at the referred to by the names. They also include heart of ECHELON four digit numbers. the known telex and fax operations and works Each agency decides numbers and Internet as follows. its own categories addresses of any according to its individuals, businesses, The individual responsibilities for organizations, and station's Dictionary producing government offices that computers do not intelligence for the are targets. These are simply have a long network. For GCSB, generally written as list of keywords to this means South part of the message text search for. And they Pacific governments, and so are easily do not send all the Japanese diplomatic, recognized by the information into Russian Antarctic Dictionary computers. some huge database activities, and so that participating on. The agencies also agencies can dip specify combinations of into as they wish. The agency then keywords to help sift It is much more works out about 10 out communications of controlled. to 50 keywords for interest. For example, selection in each they might search for The search lists are category. The diplomatic cables keywords include containing such things as names of people, ships, "We feel we can no longerremain silent regarding that which we regard to be gross malpractice and negligence whithin the establishment in which we operate." -British intelligence operatives- ------------------- both the words completely by the keywords in that "Santiago" and other agencies. The message) at the bottom "aid," or cables Dictionary computers of the message's text. containing the word search through all This is important. It "Santiago" but not the incoming means that when all the "consul" (to avoid messages and, intercepted messages end the masses of whenever they up together in the routine consular encounter one with database at one of the communications). It any of the agencies' agency headquarters, the is these sets of keywords, they messages on a particular words and numbers select it. At the subject can be located (and combinations), same time, the again. Later, when the under a particular computer analyst using the category, that get automatically notes Dictionary system placed in the technical details selects the four- digit Dictionary such as the time and code for the category he computers. (Staff in place of or she wants, the the five agencies interception on the computer simply searches called Dictionary piece of intercept through all the messages Managers enter and so that analysts in the database for the update the keyword reading it, in ones which have been search lists for whichever agency it tagged with that number. each agency.) is going to, know where it came from, This system is very The whole system, and what it is. effective for devised by the NSA, Finally, the controlling has been adopted computer writes the four-digit code (for the category with the ------------------- which agencies can can all apply for be forgiven for thinking get what from the numbers on each that, since the end of global network other's the Cold War, the key because each agency Dictionaries. The targets of the massive only gets the hardest to deal with UKUSA intelligence intelligence out of are the Americans. machine are terrorism, the ECHELON system ... [There are] more weapons proliferation, from its own hoops to jump and economic numbers. It does not through, unless it intelligence. The idea have any access to is in their that economic the raw intelligence interest, in which intelligence has become coming out of the case they'll do it very important, in system to the other for you." particular, has been agencies. For carefully cultivated by example, although There is only one intelligence agencies most of the GCSB's agency which, by intent on preserving intelligence virtue of its size their post-Cold War production is and role within the budgets. It has become primarily to serve alliance, will have an article of faith in the UKUSA alliance, access to the full much discussion of New Zealand does not potential of the intelligence. However, I have access to the ECHELON system the have found no evidence whole ECHELON agency that set it that these are now the network. The access up. What is the primary intelligence it does have is system used for? could strictly controlled. Anyone listening to A New Zealand official intelligence officer "discussion" of explained: "The agencies ------------------- concerns of there is quite a lot anything goes. For organizations such of economic example, in June 1992, a as NSA. intelligence, group of current "highly notably intensive placed intelligence QUICKER monitoring of all operatives" from the INTELLIGENCE,SAME the countries British GCHQ spoke to MISSION participating in the London Observer: "We A different story GATT negotiations. feel we can no longer emerges after But by far, the main remain silent regarding examining very priorities of the that which we regard to detailed information intelligence be gross malpractice and I have been given alliance continue to negligence within the about the be political and establishment in which intelligence New military we operate." They gave Zealand collects for intelligence to as examples GCHQ the UKUSA allies and assist the larger interception of three detailed allies to pursue charitable descriptions of what their interests organizations, including is in the yards-deep around the world. Amnesty International intelligence reports Anyone and anything and Christian Aid. As New Zealand receives the particular the Observer reported: from its four allies governments are "At any time GCHQ is each week. There is concerned about can able to home in on their quite a lot of become a target. communications for a intelligence routine target request," collected about With capabilities so the GCHQ source potential secret and so terrorists, and powerful, almost ------------------- said. In the case of system works. Again, intercept written phone taps the what was not communications: fax, procedure is known revealed in the e-mail, and telex. The as Mantis. With publicity was that reason, according to telexes it is called this is a UKUSA-wide intelligence staff, is Mayfly. By keying in system. The design that the agency does not a code relating to of ECHELON means have the staff to Third World aid, the that the analyze large quantities source was able to interception of of telephone demonstrate telex these organizations conversations. "fixes" on the three could have occurred organizations. "It anywhere in the Mike Frost's expos­ of is then possible to network, at any Canadian "embassy key in a trigger station where the collection" operations word which enables GCHQ had requested described the NSA us to home in on the that the four-digit computers they used, telex communications code covering Third called Oratory, that can whenever that word World aid be placed. "listen" to telephone appears," he said. calls and recognize when "And we can read a Note that these GCHQ keywords are spoken. pre-determined officers mentioned Just as we can recognize number of characters that the system was words spoken in all the either side of the being used for different tones and keyword." Without telephone calls. In accents we encounter, so actually naming it, New Zealand, ECHELON too, according this was a fairly is used only to precise description of how the ECHELON Dictionary ------------------- to Frost, can these in the world, in the exists for use in computers. Telephone same way that they embassy collection, it calls containing do written will presumably be used keywords are in all the stations automatically Britin's GCHQ throughout the ECHELON extracted from the intercept the network. It is yet to be masses of other communications of at confirmed how calls and recorded least three extensively telephone digitally on charitable communications are being magnetic tapes for organizations, targeted by the ECHELON analysts back at including Christian stations for the other agency headquarters. Aid and Amnesty agencies. However, high volume International. voice recognition The easiest pickings for computers will be messages. If this the ECHELON system are technically equipment the individuals, difficult to organizations,and perfect, and my New governments that do not Zealand-based use encryption. In New sources could not Zealand's area, for confirm that this example, it has proved capability exists. especially useful But, if or when it against already is perfected, the vulnerable South Pacific implications would nations which do not use be immense. It would any mean that the UKUSA agencies could use machines to search through all the international telephone calls ------------------- coding, even for such as democracy Zealand was cut off from government movements in US intelligence in the communications (all countries with mid-1980s. That was these communications repressive entirely untrue. The of New Zealand's governments. This is intelligence supply to neighbors are one practical way of New Zealand did not supplied, curbing illegitimate stop, and instead, the unscreened, to its uses of the ECHELON decade since has been a UKUSA allies). As a capabilities. period of increased result of the integration of New revelations in my One final comment. Zealand into the US book, there is All the newspapers, system. Virtually currently a project commentators, and everything the under way in the "well placed equipment, manuals, ways Pacific to promote sources" told the of operating, jargon, and supply publicly public that New codes, and so on, available encryption software to vulnerable organizations ------------------- used in the GCSB bureaucrats in the it is always hard for continues to be prime minister's the public to judge what imported entirely department trying to is fact, what is from the larger decide if they could speculation, and what is allies (in practice, prevent it from paranoia. Thus, in usually the NSA). As being distributed. uncovering New Zealand's with the Australian They eventually role in the NSA-led and Canadian concluded, sensibly, alliance, my aim was to agencies, most of that the political provide so much detail the priorities costs were too high. about the operations the continue to come It is understandable technical systems, the from the US, too. that they were so daily work of individual agitated. staff members, and even The main thing that the rooms in which they protects these Throughout my work inside intelligence agencies from change research, I have facilities that readers is their secrecy. On faced official could feel confident the day my book denials or that they were getting arrived in the book governments refusing close to the truth. I shops, without prior to comment on hope the information publicity, there was publicity about leaked by intelligence an all-day meeting intelligence staff in New Zealand of the intelligence activities. Given about UKUSA and its the pervasive systems such as ECHELON atmosphere of will help lead to secrecy and change. stonewalling, -------------------------------------------------------------------- CAQ59 Contents | CAQ Contents | Subscribe to CAQ | MediaFilter | PoMoWar