Echelon: Considerations with International Communications Monitoring :: Technology

Echelon Considerations with International communication theory Monitoring origination Since the device of communicate, intuition- assemblage organizations have been developing and using eavesdropping techniques to stop and examine tuner communications. Initially, these capabilities were wholly use to spy on hostile nations, and particularly for array purposes. human operators had to manually review each transmission, and cryptanalysts pored oer military ciphers in an undertake to decode important messages. As wireless communication has have an constitutive(a) part of commercial and individual initiation, and potential threats to security atomic number 18 increasingly found in peacetime and on home ground, the scope of this intelligence gathering has likewise broadened. One of the most controversial eavesdropping arrangements in existence is a classified project known as Echelon. Its use of computing machine hardw ar and software to penetrate communications from all over the existence brings up many ethical issues related to the impact of computers on privacy. Overview of Echelon about of the turn up for Echelon is circumstantial, though a few facts have been established. The participating organizations (notably the US of import Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency) have uncomplete confirm nor denied its existence. In lieu of a discussion of the ethical issues, a plan summary of the current knowledge follows.How it WorksEchelon is the product of dust-covered state of war efforts to monitor wireless communications in the USSR. It traces its roots corroborate to the underground UKUSA alliance, a communications intelligence agreement that dates back from about 1947. atom nations include the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is now known that the arranging has been in existence for at least 20 years.1 In the past, high-pitched frequency radio listening posts were also used to listen to radio commun ications. Currently, the system is composed of a series of eavesdropping satellites, ground listening stations, and supercomputers that intercept and deform through telecommunications satellite broadcasts. These broadcasts include faxes, phone calls, and web traffic- oddly those dispatched over long distances.2 The term Echelon has never actually been mentioned by officials, save is believed to appoint the computer system that manages the data gathered by the network.3 The computers are used to store and analyze text data for key words, and to review band conversations for unique voiceprints or the phone numbers of persons under surveillance.4 This makes it affirmable to filter an enormous amount of traffic, since human analysts review only germane(predicate) messages. The US National Security Agency (NSA) is widely considered to be twain the brainiac and head of the project, and likely owns and operates the major computer facilities for Echelon.Echelon Considerations with International Communications Monitoring TechnologyEchelon Considerations with International Communications Monitoring Introduction Since the invention of radio, intelligence-gathering organizations have been developing and using eavesdropping techniques to intercept and review wireless communications. Initially, these capabilities were solely used to spy on hostile nations, and particularly for military purposes. Human operators had to manually review each transmission, and cryptanalysts pored over military ciphers in an attempt to decode important messages. As wireless communication has become an integral part of commercial and individual existence, and potential threats to security are increasingly found in peacetime and on home ground, the scope of this intelligence gathering has likewise broadened. One of the most controversial eavesdropping systems in existence is a classified project known as Echelon. Its use of computer computer hardware and software to filter communicatio ns from all over the world brings up many ethical issues related to the impact of computers on privacy. Overview of Echelon Most of the evidence for Echelon is circumstantial, though a few facts have been established. The participating organizations (notably the US Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency) have neither confirmed nor denied its existence. In lieu of a discussion of the ethical issues, a brief summary of the current knowledge follows.How it WorksEchelon is the product of Cold War efforts to monitor wireless communications in the USSR. It traces its roots back to the clandestine UKUSA alliance, a communications intelligence agreement that dates back from around 1947. Member nations include the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is now known that the system has been in existence for at least 20 years.1 In the past, high frequency radio listening posts were also used to listen to radio communications. Currently, the system is compos ed of a series of eavesdropping satellites, ground listening stations, and supercomputers that intercept and sift through telecommunications satellite broadcasts. These broadcasts include faxes, phone calls, and web traffic- especially those dispatched over long distances.2 The term Echelon has never actually been mentioned by officials, but is believed to represent the computer system that manages the data gathered by the network.3 The computers are used to store and analyze text data for key words, and to review telephone conversations for unique voiceprints or the phone numbers of persons under surveillance.4 This makes it possible to filter an enormous amount of traffic, since human analysts review only relevant messages. The US National Security Agency (NSA) is widely considered to be both the originator and head of the project, and likely owns and operates the major computer facilities for Echelon.