European Parliament to investigate satellite espionage

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July 7, 2000
Web posted at: 10:27 a.m. EDT (1427 GMT)

by Elizabeth de Bony

(IDG) -- The European Parliament approved the creation of a special temporary committee this week to investigate allegations that the U.S.-backed Echelon satellite information system is stealing European industrial secrets.

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Echelon is a network of supercomputers and satellites run by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and located in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, capable of eavesdropping on electronic communications in the form of faxes, telephone calls and electronic mail. The U.S. and U.K. governments have repeatedly denied that it is used for industrial espionage, saying the system was set up as a means to fight terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking.

The system has, however, particularly irritated the French, who saw Jean-Pierre Dintilhac, a French state prosecutor, launch a preliminary judicial investigation Tuesday to determine whether Echelon was compatible with French law.

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Whether the rights and privacy of European citizens are being properly protected from this government intrusion is one of the questions facing the 36-member committee set up by the European Parliament.

During its year-long mandate, it will also consider whether encryption provides adequate protection to guarantee privacy and how to make European Union institutions better aware of the risks posed by such activities.

The European Parliament approved the creation of the committee by 340 votes to 210, defeating a joint proposal by the Green Party and Socialist party to set up a full-blown committee of inquiry, which would have far wider powers to demand the participation of key figures in the Echelon affair.

As created, the committee will have no formal powers, although it can invite key officials to discuss the issue. At the end of its investigation, the committee will issue recommendations for follow-up political or legislative initiatives, according to its mandate. These actions could, for example, involve the creation of a full-blown committee of inquiry.

During the committee's first meeting late on Wednesday, it named Carlos Coelho, a Portuguese Christian Democrat, as president. There would be a thorough investigation of the claims of industrial espionage, Coelho said in a statement, adding, however, that telecommunications could be a legitimate tool for fighting organized crime.

The claims of industrial espionage were first made in a report by Duncan Campbell, an investigative journalist, at the request of the European Parliament's own research division. To date, however, no company has come forward to substantiate the claims.

U.K. plan to open Internet spy center draws criticism
May 1, 2000
High-tech spy satellites not targeting Americans, CIA, NSA directors say
April 12, 2000
European Parliament delays decision on Echelon
March 31, 2000
Is the U.S. stealing trade secrets from the EU?
March 27, 2000
Spy agency tells Congress it is breaking no law
February 29, 2000
Echelon: The skies have ears
December 30, 1999

Is U.S. industry spying on the E.U.?
(IDG.net)
Digital spies are watching you
(PCWorld.com)
NSA moves to defuse Echelon controversy
(Federal Computer Week)
Echelon: The skies have ears
(IDG.net)
Euro parliament rejects U.S. data privacy
(IDG.net)
U.K. government pulls back on cybersnoop bill
(IDG.net)

The European Parliament
U.S. National Security Agency (NSA)
ACLU's Echelon Watch

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