View source for ECHELON

{{Other uses|Echelon (disambiguation){{!}}Echelon}}
{{short description|Signals intelligence collection and analysis network}}
{{Global surveillance}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

[[File:Menwith-hill-radome.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A [[radome]] at [[RAF Menwith Hill]], a site with [[satellite]] [[uplink]] capabilities believed to be used by ECHELON]]
[[File:Menwith-hill-radomes.jpg|thumb|right|[[RAF Menwith Hill]], [[North Yorkshire]], England]]
[[File:Security Hill at Misawa Air Base with AN-FLR-9 (1990s).png|thumb|right|[[Misawa Air Base]] Security Operations Center (MSOC), [[Aomori Prefecture]], Japan]]

'''ECHELON''', originally a secret government [[code name]], is a [[surveillance]] program ([[signals intelligence]]/SIGINT collection and analysis network) operated by the five signatory states to the [[UKUSA Agreement|UKUSA Security Agreement]]:<ref name="pronunciation">Given the 5 dialects that use the terms, UKUSA can be pronounced from "You-Q-SA" to "Oo-Coo-SA", AUSCANNZUKUS can be pronounced from "Oz-Can-Zuke-Us" to "Orse-Can-Zoo-Cuss".
:From [[Talk:UKUSA Agreement]]: "Per documents officially released by both the [[Government Communications Headquarters]] and the [[National Security Agency]], this agreement is referred to as the UKUSA Agreement. This name is subsequently used by media sources reporting on the story, as written in new references used for the article. The NSA press release provides a pronunciation guide, indicating that "UKUSA" should not be read as two separate entities.{{cite web 
 |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/471.htm 
 |title=(The National Archives) 
 |access-date=2012-10-10 
 |url-status=bot: unknown 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502100834/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/471.htm 
 |archive-date=2 May 2013
 }}  [http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/press_room/2010/ukusa.shtml (National Security Agency)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716140847/http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/press_room/2010/ukusa.shtml |date=16 July 2013 }}"</ref> Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the United States, also known as the [[Five Eyes]].<ref>{{cite news|title=UK 'biggest spy' among the Five Eyes|url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/uk-spying-more-extensive-than-in-us/story-e6frfro0-1226667900434|publisher=[[News Corp Australia]]|access-date=19 October 2013|date=22 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023161357/http://www.news.com.au/technology/uk-spying-more-extensive-than-in-us/story-e6frfro0-1226667900434|archive-date=23 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[[Google Book Search|Google books]] – [https://archive.org/details/echelonsomebodys0000onei Echelon] by John O'Neill</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://auscannzukus.net/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220104120/http://auscannzukus.net/|archive-date=2012-02-20 |title=AUSCANNZUKUS Information Portal |publisher=auscannzukus.net |access-date=1 February 2010}}</ref>

Created in the late 1960s to monitor the [[military]] and [[diplomacy|diplomatic]] communications of the [[Soviet Union]] and its [[Eastern Bloc]] allies during the [[Cold War]], the ECHELON project became formally established in 1971.<ref name="bbcechelon1">{{cite news|title=Q&A: What you need to know about Echelon|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/1357513.stm|publisher=BBC|date=29 May 2001|access-date=17 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218051611/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/1357513.stm|archive-date=18 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Nabbali|first=Talitha|author2=Perry, Mark|title=Going for the throat|journal=Computer Law & Security Review|date=March 2004|volume=20|issue=2|pages=84–97|doi=10.1016/S0267-3649(04)00018-4|quote=It wasn't until 1971 that the UKUSA allies began ECHELON}}</ref> By the end of the 20th century, it had greatly expanded.<ref name="EP">{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+REPORT+A5-2001-0264+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN |title=On the existence of a global system for the interception of private and commercial communications (ECHELON interception system), (2001/2098(INI)) |last=Schmid |first=Gerhard |date=11 July 2001 |publisher=European Parliament: Temporary Committee on the ECHELON Interception System |access-date=5 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226152235/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FNONSGML+REPORT+A5-2001-0264+0+DOC+PDF+V0%2F%2FEN&language=EN |archive-date=26 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Organization ==
[[File:UKUSA Map.svg|thumb|right|Map of the [[UKUSA Agreement]] countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States]]
The [[UKUSA Agreement|UKUSA intelligence community]] was assessed by the [[European Parliament]] (EP) in 2000 to include the [[signals intelligence]] agencies of each of the member states:
* the [[Government Communications Headquarters]] of the United Kingdom,
* the [[National Security Agency]] of the United States,
* the [[Communications Security Establishment]] of Canada,
* the [[Australian Signals Directorate]] of Australia, and
* the [[Government Communications Security Bureau]] of New Zealand.
{| class="wikitable"  style="float: center; margin:10px"
|+ List of intercept stations according to [[Edward Snowden]]'s documents
|-
!colspan="4" style="background: #ffdead;" |Operated by the United States
|-
! Country
! Location
! Operator(s)
! Codename
|-
| {{flag|Brazil}}
| [[Brasília]], [[Federal District (Brazil)|Federal District]]
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]<ref name=globo1/>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref name="globo1">{{cite web|first1=Roberto|last1=Kaz|first2=José|last2=Casado|title=Capitais de 4 países também abrigaram escritório da NSA e CIA|url=http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/capitais-de-4-paises-tambem-abrigaram-escritorio-da-nsa-cia-8966597|work=[[O Globo]]|date=9 July 2013|access-date=31 January 2014|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206164747/http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/capitais-de-4-paises-tambem-abrigaram-escritorio-da-nsa-cia-8966597|archive-date=6 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[Special Collection Service|SCS]]
|-
| {{flag|Germany}}
| [[Bad Aibling Station|Bad Aibling, Bavaria]]
|
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Bundesnachrichtendienst|BND]]<ref name="bndnsa">{{cite news|first1=Hubert|last1=Gude|first2=Laura|last2=Poitras|first3=Marcel|last3=Rosenbach|title=German Intelligence Sends Massive Amounts of Data to the NSA|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/german-intelligence-sends-massive-amounts-of-data-to-the-nsa-a-914821.html|work=[[Der Spiegel]]|date=5 August 2013|access-date=31 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125151648/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/german-intelligence-sends-massive-amounts-of-data-to-the-nsa-a-914821.html|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref name="bndnsa"/>
| GARLICK<ref>{{cite news|title=Cover Story: How the NSA Targets Germany and Europe|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/secret-documents-nsa-targeted-germany-and-eu-buildings-a-908609-2.html|work=[[Der Spiegel]]|date=July 2013|access-date=31 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208103706/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/secret-documents-nsa-targeted-germany-and-eu-buildings-a-908609-2.html|archive-date=8 December 2013|url-status=live|last1=Poitras|first1=Laura|last2=Rosenbach|first2=Marcel|last3=Schmid|first3=Fidelius|last4=Stark|first4=Holger|last5=Stock|first5=Jonathan}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|India}}
| [[New Delhi]]
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]<ref name="deccam">{{cite web|title=US spy centre in India too |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131030/news-current-affairs/article/us%E2%80%88spy-centre-india-too |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |access-date=31 January 2014 |date=30 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202182811/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131030/news-current-affairs/article/us%E2%80%88spy-centre-india-too |archive-date= 2 February 2014 }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref name=deccam/>
| [[Special Collection Service|SCS]]
|-
| {{flag|Japan}}
| [[Misawa Air Base|Misawa, Tōhoku region]]
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]]<ref name="stellar"/>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref name="stellar"/>
| LADYLOVE<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB23/index.html |title=Document 12. "Activation of Echelon Units" from History of the Air Intelligence Agency, 1 January – 31 December 1994, Volume I (San Antonio, TX: AIA, 1995) |publisher=[[George Washington University]] |quote=The second extract notes that AIA's participation in a classified activity 'had been limited to LADYLOVE operations at Misawa AB [Air Base], Japan'.}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Thailand}}
| Khon Kaen, Isan
16°28'31.6"N 102°50'39.2"E
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] (?)
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]] (?)
|INDRA / 
LEMONWOOD<ref name="pri" />
|-
| {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| [[RAF Menwith Hill|Menwith Hill, Harrogate]]
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Norton-Taylor|first=Richard|title=Menwith Hill eavesdropping base undergoes massive expansion|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/01/menwith-hill-eavesdropping-base-expansion|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=31 January 2014|date=1 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126001413/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/01/menwith-hill-eavesdropping-base-expansion|archive-date=26 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>* {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Government Communications Headquarters|GCHQ]]
| MOONPENNY<ref name=pri/>
|-
| rowspan="3" | {{flag|United States}}
| [[Sugar Grove Station|Sugar Grove, West Virginia]]
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Steelhammer|first=Rick|title=In W.Va., mountains of NSA secrecy|url=http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201401040095|work=[[The Charleston Gazette]]|access-date=31 January 2014|date=4 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202111720/http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201401040095|archive-date=2 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
| TIMBERLINE<ref name=carboy/>
|-
| [[Yakima Training Center|Yakima, Washington]]
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Troianello |first=Craig |title=NSA to close Yakima Training Center facility |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020713369_listeningpostxml.html |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |access-date=31 January 2014 |date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219144524/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020713369_listeningpostxml.html |archive-date=19 February 2014 }}</ref>
| JACKKNIFE<ref name="pri">{{cite web|title=Eyes Wide Open |url=https://www.privacyinternational.org/sites/privacyinternational.org/files/file-downloads/eyes_wide_open_v1.pdf |publisher=[[Privacy International]] |access-date=31 January 2014 |page=11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106052052/https://www.privacyinternational.org/sites/privacyinternational.org/files/file-downloads/eyes_wide_open_v1.pdf |archive-date= 6 January 2014 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Sábana Seca|Sábana Seca, Puerto Rico]]
|
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref name="globo1"/>
| CORALINE<ref name=pri/>
|-
!colspan="4" style="background: #faccaa;"|Operated Jointly with the United States (2nd party)
|-
! Country
! Location
! Contributor(s)
! Codename
|-
| rowspan="2" |{{flag|Australia}}
| [[Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station|Geraldton, WA]]
|
* {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Australian Signals Directorate|ASD]]<ref name="stellar"/>
| STELLAR<ref name="stellar">{{cite news|last=Dorling|first=Philip|title=Singapore, South Korea revealed as Five Eyes spying partners|url=http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/singapore-south-korea-revealed-as-five-eyes-spying-partners-20131124-2y433.html|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=30 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131141750/http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/singapore-south-korea-revealed-as-five-eyes-spying-partners-20131124-2y433.html|archive-date=31 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Shoal Bay Receiving Station|Darwin, NT]]
|
* {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Australian Signals Directorate|ASD]]<ref name="stellar"/>
|SHOAL BAY<ref name="stellar" />
|-
| {{flag|New Zealand}}
| [[Waihopai Station]]
|
* {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Government Communications Security Bureau|GCSB]]<ref name="stellar"/>
| IRONSAND<ref name="stellar"/>
|-
| {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| [[GCHQ Bude|Bude, Cornwall]]
|
* {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Government Communications Headquarters|GCHQ]]<ref name="100fund">{{cite web|first1=Nick|last1=Hopkins|first2=Julian|last2=Borger|title=Exclusive: NSA pays £100m in secret funding for GCHQ|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/01/nsa-paid-gchq-spying-edward-snowden|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=31 January 2014|date=1 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125143605/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/01/nsa-paid-gchq-spying-edward-snowden|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref name=100fund/>
| CARBOY<ref name="carboy">{{cite news|first1=Laura|last1=Poitras|first2=Marcel|last2=Rosenbach|first3=Holger|last3=Stark|title=Friendly Fire: How GCHQ Monitors Germany, Israel and the EU|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/snowden-documents-show-gchq-targeted-european-and-german-politicians-a-940135-2.html|work=[[Der Spiegel]]|date=20 December 2013|access-date=31 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125102046/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/snowden-documents-show-gchq-targeted-european-and-german-politicians-a-940135-2.html|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Cyprus}}
| [[Ayios Nikolaos Station]]
|
*  {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Government Communications Headquarters|GCHQ]]<ref name=100fund/>
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[National Security Agency|NSA]]<ref name=100fund/>
| SOUNDER<ref>{{cite news|last=Squires|first=Nick|title=British military base in Cyprus 'used to spy on Middle East'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/cyprus/10427890/British-military-base-in-Cyprus-used-to-spy-on-Middle-East.html|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=31 January 2014|date=5 November 2013|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402232938/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/cyprus/10427890/British-military-base-in-Cyprus-used-to-spy-on-Middle-East.html|archive-date=2 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Kenya}}
| [[Nairobi]]
|
* {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Government Communications Headquarters|GCHQ]]<ref name="stellar"/>
| SCAPEL<ref name=pri/>
|-
| {{flag|Oman}}
|[[Seeb]], [[Muscat]]
|
* {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Government Communications Headquarters|GCHQ]]<ref name="stellar"/>
| SNICK<ref name=pri/>
|}

== Reporting and disclosures ==

=== Public disclosures (1972–2000) ===
Former NSA analyst [[Perry Fellwock]], under the pseudonym Winslow Peck, first blew the whistle on ECHELON to ''[[Ramparts (magazine)|Ramparts]]'' in 1972,<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Ramparts |volume=11 |number=2 |date=August 1972 |pages=35–50 |title=U.S. Electronic Espionage: A Memoir |author=David Horowitz }}</ref> when he revealed the existence of a global network of listening posts and told of his experiences working there. He also revealed the existence of [[nuclear weapons in Israel]] in 1972, the widespread involvement of [[CIA]] and NSA personnel in drugs and human smuggling, and CIA operatives leading Nationalist Chinese (Taiwan) commandos in burning villages inside [[PRC]] borders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cryptome.org/jya/nsa-elint.htm |title=Ramparts interview |date=1988 |access-date=21 April 2017 |publisher=Cryptome archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235626/http://www.cryptome.org/jya/nsa-elint.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1982, investigative journalist and author [[James Bamford]] wrote ''[[The Puzzle Palace]]'', an in-depth history of the NSA and its practices, which notably leaked the existence of the eavesdropping operation [[Project SHAMROCK]]. Project SHAMROCK ran from 1945 to 1975, after which it evolved into ECHELON.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bamford |first=James |title=The Puzzle Palace: A Report on America's Most Secret Agency |url=https://archive.org/details/puzzlepalacerepo00bamf |url-access=registration |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-14-006748-4 |date=1982}}</ref><ref name="Echelon reference timeline">{{cite web |url=http://cryptome.org/jya/echelon-dc.htm |title=Puzzle Palace excepts |access-date=21 April 2017 |publisher=Cryptome archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419125834/https://cryptome.org/jya/echelon-dc.htm |archive-date=19 April 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1988, Margaret Newsham, a [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] employee under NSA contract, disclosed the ECHELON [[surveillance]] system to members of Congress. Newsham told a member of the [[US Congress]] that the telephone calls of [[Strom Thurmond]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] US senator, were being collected by the NSA. Congressional investigators determined that "targeting of US political figures would not occur by accident, but was designed into the system from the start".<ref name="duncan1" />

Also in 1988, an article titled "Somebody's Listening", written by investigative journalist [[Duncan Campbell (journalist, born 1952)|Duncan Campbell]] in the ''[[New Statesman]]'', described the [[signals intelligence]] gathering activities of a program code-named "ECHELON".<ref name="duncan1">{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Duncan |author-link=Duncan Campbell (journalist, born 1952) |title=Somebody's Listening |newspaper=[[New Statesman]] |date=12 August 1988 |url=http://www.duncancampbell.org/menu/journalism/newstatesman/newstatesman-1988/They%27ve%20got%20it%20taped.pdf |access-date=27 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614020755/http://www.duncancampbell.org/menu/journalism/newstatesman/newstatesman-1988/They%27ve%20got%20it%20taped.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bamford described the system as the software controlling the collection and distribution of civilian [[telecommunications]] traffic conveyed using communication satellites, with the collection being undertaken by ground stations located in the footprint of the downlink leg.<ref name="Bamford">{{cite book |last=Bamford |first=James |title=Body of Secrets |publisher=Anchor |isbn=978-0-385-49908-8 |date=2002 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bodyofsecretsana0000bamf }}</ref>

A detailed description of ECHELON was provided by the New Zealand journalist [[Nicky Hager]] in his 1996 book ''[[Nicky Hager#Secret Power|Secret Power: New Zealand's Role in the International Spy Network]]''.<ref name="heiseeche">{{cite web |first=Duncan |last=Campbell |title=Echelon Chronology |url=http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/7/7795/1.html |publisher=[[Heise Online]] |access-date=19 December 2013 |date=1 June 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221183720/http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/7/7795/1.html |archive-date=21 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Two years later, Hager's book was cited by the [[European Parliament]] in a report titled "An Appraisal of the Technology of Political Control" (PE&nbsp;168.184).<ref>{{cite web |last=Wright |first=Steve |title=An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/jadis/2013_12/8.PE4_AP_PV!LIBE.1994_LIBE-199801260050EN.pdf |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |access-date=28 January 2014 |date=6 January 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218220150/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/jadis/2013_12/8.PE4_AP_PV!LIBE.1994_LIBE-199801260050EN.pdf |archive-date=18 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 1999, for the first time in history, the [[Australian government]] admitted that news reports about the top-secret [[UKUSA Agreement]] were true.<ref name="zdnetduncan" /> Martin Brady, the director of Australia's [[Defence Signals Directorate]] (DSD, now known as Australian Signals Directorate, or ASD) told the Australian broadcasting channel [[Nine Network]] that the DSD "does co-operate with counterpart [[signals intelligence]] organisations overseas under the [[UKUSA Agreement|UKUSA relationship]]".<ref>{{cite web |first1=Duncan |last1=Campbell| first2=Mark |last2=Honigsbaum |title=Britain and US spy on world |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/may/23/duncancampbell.markhonigsbaum |work=[[The Observer]] |access-date=19 December 2013 |date=23 May 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219063144/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/may/23/duncancampbell.markhonigsbaum |archive-date=19 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2000, [[R. James Woolsey, Jr.|James Woolsey]], the former Director of the US [[Central Intelligence Agency]], confirmed that US intelligence uses interception systems and keyword searches to monitor [[Europe]]an businesses.<ref>{{cite news |author=R. James Woolsey |title=Why We Spy on Our Allies |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB95326824311657269 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=17 March 2000 |access-date=3 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709151210/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB95326824311657269 |archive-date=9 July 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Lawmakers in the United States feared that the ECHELON system could be used to monitor US citizens.<ref name="echenytimes" /> According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', the ECHELON system has been "shrouded in such secrecy that its very existence has been difficult to prove".<ref name="echenytimes">{{cite news |author=Niall McKay |title=Lawmakers Raise Questions About International Spy Network |url=https://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/05/cyber/articles/27network.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=19 December 2013 |date=27 May 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130111338/http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/05/cyber/articles/27network.html |archive-date=30 January 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Critics said that the ECHELON system emerged from the [[Cold War]] as a "Big Brother without a cause".<ref>{{cite news |author=Suzanne Daley |title=An Electronic Spy Scare Is Alarming Europe |url=https://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/02/biztech/articles/24spy.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=19 December 2013 |date=24 February 2000}}</ref>

===European Parliament investigation (2000–2001)===
[[File:Nicky Hager at European Parliament April 2001b.jpg|thumb|The New Zealand journalist [[Nicky Hager]], who testified before the [[European Parliament]] and provided specific details about the ECHELON [[surveillance]] system<ref>{{cite web |first=Kieren |last=McCarthy |title=This is how we know Echelon exists |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/09/14/this_is_how_we_know/ |work=[[The Register]] |access-date=19 December 2013 |date=14 September 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209042652/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/09/14/this_is_how_we_know/ |archive-date=9 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

The program's capabilities and political implications were investigated by a committee of the European Parliament during 2000 and 2001 with a report published in 2001.<ref name="EP"/> In July 2000, the Temporary Committee on the ECHELON Interception System was established by the European parliament to investigate the [[surveillance]] network.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rudner |first=Martin |title=Britain betwixt and between: UK SIGINT alliance strategy's transatlantic and European connections |journal=Intelligence & National Security}}</ref> It was chaired by the Portuguese politician [[Carlos Coelho (politician)|Carlos Coelho]], who was in charge of supervising investigations throughout 2000 and 2001.

In May 2001, as the committee finalised its report on the ECHELON system, a delegation travelled to [[Washington, D.C.]] to attend meetings with US officials from the following agencies and departments:
* US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)<ref name="bbcusech"/>
* US [[United States Department of Commerce|Department of Commerce]] (DOC)<ref name="bbcusech"/>
* US National Security Agency (NSA)<ref name="bbcusech"/>

All meetings were cancelled by the US government, and the committee was forced to end its trip prematurely.<ref name="bbcusech">{{cite news |last=Roxburgh |first=Angus |title=EU investigators 'snubbed' in US |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1325186.stm |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=28 January 2014 |date=11 May 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203035200/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1325186.stm |archive-date=3 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to a [[BBC]] correspondent in May 2001, "The US Government still refuses to admit that Echelon even exists."<ref name="bbcechelon1"/>

In July 2001, the Committee released its final report.<ref name="EUechelon">{{cite web |title=Report on the existence of a global system for the interception of private and commercial communications (ECHELON interception system) (2001/2098(INI)) |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A5-2001-0264&format=XML&language=EN |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |date=11 July 2001 |access-date=10 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921163352/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A5-2001-0264&format=XML&language=EN |archive-date=21 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The EP report concluded that it seemed likely that ECHELON is a method of sorting captured signal traffic, rather than a comprehensive analysis tool.<ref name="EP" /> On 5&nbsp;September 2001, the European parliament voted to accept the report.<ref name="apechelonusa">{{cite news |title=Report: Echelon exists, should be guarded against |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-09-05-echelon.htm |access-date=7 February 2014 |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=5 September 2001 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221065509/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-09-05-echelon.htm |archive-date=21 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> 

The European Parliament stated in its report that the term ECHELON is used in a number of contexts, but that the evidence presented indicates that it was the name for a signals intelligence collection system.<ref name="EP" /> The report concludes that, on the basis of information presented, ECHELON was capable of interception and content inspection of telephone calls, fax, e-mail and other data traffic globally through the interception of communication bearers, including satellite transmission, [[public switched telephone network]]s (which once carried most Internet traffic), and [[microwave]] links.<ref name=EP/>

=== Confirmation of ECHELON (2015) ===
Two internal NSA newsletters from January 2011 and July 2012, published as part of [[Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)|Edward Snowden's leaks]] by the website ''[[The Intercept]]'' on 3 August 2015, for the first time confirmed that NSA used the code word ECHELON and provided some details about the scope of the program: ECHELON was part of an umbrella program with the code name FROSTING, which was established by the NSA in 1966 to collect and process data from [[communications satellites]]. FROSTING had two sub-programs:<ref name="yrs">The Northwest Passage, Yakima Research Station (YRS) newsletter: [http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2189960-nwp-nsa.html Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922172422/http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2189960-nwp-nsa.html |date=22 September 2015 }} & [http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2189961-nwp2-nsa.html Volume 3, Issue 7, July 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922172422/http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2189961-nwp2-nsa.html |date=22 September 2015 }}.</ref>
* TRANSIENT: for intercepting [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] satellite transmissions
* ECHELON: for intercepting [[Intelsat]] satellite transmissions 
The [[European Parliament]]'s [[Temporary Committee on the ECHELON Interception System]] stated, "It seems likely, in view of the evidence and the consistent pattern of statements from a very wide range of individuals and organisations, including American sources, that its name is in fact ECHELON, although this is a relatively minor detail".<ref name="EP" /> The US intelligence community uses many code names (''see'', for example, [[CIA cryptonym]]).

Former NSA employee [[Margaret Newsham]] said that she worked on the configuration and installation of software that makes up the ECHELON system while employed at [[Lockheed Martin]], from 1974 to 1984 in [[Sunnyvale, California]], in the [[United States]], and in [[Menwith Hill]], [[England]], in the [[UK]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Elkjær |first1=Bo |first2=Kenan |last2=Seeberg |date=17 November 1999 |title=ECHELON Was My Baby |work=Ekstra Bladet |url=http://cryptome.org/echelon-baby.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=17 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615202141/http://cryptome.org/echelon-baby.htm |archive-date=15 June 2006}} "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 mainframes"; "[[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]] ... Ekstra Bladet has Margaret Newsham's stationing orders from the US Department of Defense. She possessed the high security classification TOP SECRET CRYPTO."</ref> At that time, according to Newsham, the code name ECHELON was NSA's term for the computer network itself. Lockheed called it ''P415''. The software programs were called ''SILKWORTH'' and ''SIRE''. A [[satellite]] named ''[[Vortex (satellite)|VORTEX]]'' intercepted communications. An image available on the internet of a fragment apparently torn from a job description shows Echelon listed along with several other code names.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goodwins |first=Rupert |date=29 June 2000 |title=Echelon: How it works |work=[[ZDNet]] |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/echelon-how-it-works/ |url-status=live |access-date=28 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202120330/http://www.zdnet.com/echelon-how-it-works-3002079849/ |archive-date=2 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="insideechelon">{{cite web |last=Campbell |first=Duncan |date=25 July 2000 |title=Inside Echelon |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/echelon-how-it-works/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202120330/http://www.zdnet.com/echelon-how-it-works-3002079849/ |archive-date=2 February 2014 |access-date=28 January 2014 |publisher=[[Heise Online]]}}</ref>

Britain's ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper summarized the capabilities of the ECHELON system as follows:

{{Blockquote|A global network of electronic spy stations that can eavesdrop on telephones, faxes and computers. It can even track bank accounts. This information is stored in Echelon computers, which can keep millions of records on individuals.

Officially, however, Echelon doesn't exist.<ref>{{cite web|last=Perrone|first=Jane|title=The Echelon spy network|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/29/qanda.janeperrone|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=28 January 2014|date=29 May 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203163847/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/29/qanda.janeperrone|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Documents leaked by the former NSA contractor [[Edward Snowden]] revealed that the ECHELON system's collection of satellite data is also referred to as FORNSAT - an abbreviation for "Foreign Satellite Collection".<ref>{{cite news |first1=Laura|last1=Poitras|first2=Marcel|last2=Rosenbach|first3=Holger|last3=Stark |date=20 December 2013 |title=Friendly Fire: How GCHQ Monitors Germany, Israel and the EU |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/snowden-documents-show-gchq-targeted-european-and-german-politicians-a-940135-2.html |url-status=live |access-date=30 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125102046/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/snowden-documents-show-gchq-targeted-european-and-german-politicians-a-940135-2.html |archive-date=25 January 2014 |quote=A map from the wealth of classified documents obtained by Snowden on the so-called "Fornsat" activities of the technical intelligence cooperation program -- informally known as the Five Eyes -- shows that the system of global satellite surveillance remained in operation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Ambinder |first=Marc |date=31 July 2013 |title=What's XKEYSCORE? |url=http://theweek.com/article/index/247684/whats-xkeyscore |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130064739/http://theweek.com/article/index/247684/whats-xkeyscore |archive-date=30 January 2014 |access-date=30 January 2014 |work=[[The Week]] |quote=FORNSAT simply means "foreign satellite collection," which refers to NSA tapping into satellites that process data used by other countries.}}</ref>

==Intercept stations==
First revealed by the [[European Parliament]] report (p.&nbsp;54 ff)<ref name="EP" /> and confirmed later by the [[Edward Snowden disclosures]] the following ground stations presently have, or have had, a role in intercepting transmissions from Satellite and other means of communication:<ref name="EP" />
* [[RAF Little Sai Wan|RAF Little Sai Wan (Closed)]] ([[Hong Kong]]) [https://www.google.com/maps/place/22%C2%B015'36.0%22N+114%C2%B015'07.2%22E/@22.26,114.252,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc896e50e15c73af9!8m2!3d22.26!4d114.252?ll=22.26,114.252&q=22.26,114.252&hl=en&t=m&z=15&coh=164777&entry=tt Map]
* [[Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station]] ([[Geraldton]], [[Western Australia]]) [https://www.google.com/maps/place/28%C2%B041'42.0%22S+114%C2%B050'32.0%22E/@-28.695,114.842222,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x32b0807536f17b9!8m2!3d-28.695!4d114.842222?hl=en&coh=164777&entry=tt Map]
* [[RAF Menwith Hill]] ([[Yorkshire]], England – Largest known ECHELON facility)<ref>[http://mondediplo.com/2010/09/04israelbase Le Monde Diplomatique] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911082912/http://mondediplo.com/2010/09/04israelbase|date=11 September 2010}}, September 2010</ref> [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&geocode=&q=+54%C2%B0+0'31.29%22N+++1%C2%B041'22.17%22W&ie=UTF8&ll=54.009118,-1.689384&spn=0.003228,0.013561&t=k&z=17&om=1 Map] 
* [[Misawa Security Operations Center]] (Oura, [[Misawa, Aomori|Misawa]], [[Aomori]], [[Tōhoku region|Tōhoku]], Japan) [https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.72051,141.326087 Map]
* [[GCHQ Bude|GCHQ Bude (''formerly CSO Morwenstow'')]]  ([[Cornwall]], UK)<ref name="EP" /> [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&geocode=&sspn=0.009846,0.019312&ie=UTF8&ll=50.885979,-4.553018&spn=0.008948,0.019312&t=h&z=16 Map]
* [[Pine Gap]] (Outside [[Alice Springs]], [[Northern Territory]], Australia) [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&geocode=&q=23.799S,+133.737E&ie=UTF8&ll=-23.798853,133.737066&spn=0.005026,0.013561&t=h&z=17 Map]
* [[Sugar Grove Station|Sugar Grove (Closed)]] ([[West Virginia]], US) [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&geocode=&sll=40.442767,-77.338257&sspn=2.763215,4.943848&ie=UTF8&ll=38.513906,-79.27964&spn=0.011098,0.019312&t=h&z=16 Map] 
* [[Yakima Training Center|Yakima Training Center (''Closed'')]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Rick |date=21 June 2013 |title=Cray and the NSA: Seattle Supercomputers Help Spy Agency Mine Your Megadata |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/947376-129/cray-nsa-bamford-data-agency-company |work=Seattle Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515130517/http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/947376-129/cray-nsa-bamford-data-agency-company |archive-date=15 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ([[Washington (state)|Washington State]], US) [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&geocode=&q=46.68209++-120.356544&sll=46.681405,-120.356056&sspn=0.005186,0.004399&g=46.68209++-120.356544&ie=UTF8&t=k&ll=46.681795,-120.357381&spn=0.005185,0.006437&z=18&iwloc=addr Map] 
* [[Buckley Space Force Base]] ([[Aurora, Colorado]])<ref>{{Cite web |first=Craig |last=Troianello |title=NSA to close Yakima Training Center facility |url=https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/nsa-to-close-yakima-training-center-facility/article_60b00d44-0414-55ce-b5cf-6761d7ed5d8e.html |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Yakima Herald-Republic |date=19 April 2013 |language=en |archive-date=28 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128211503/https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/nsa-to-close-yakima-training-center-facility/article_60b00d44-0414-55ce-b5cf-6761d7ed5d8e.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Buckley+AFB,+Aurora,+CO/@39.7037495,-104.7957829,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x876c621913b14091:0xf11193ae037246aa!8m2!3d39.7025375!4d-104.7579271?hl=en&coh=164777&entry=tt Map]
* [[GCSB Waihopai]] ([[Marlborough Region|Marlborough]], New Zealand)<ref name="waihopai">{{cite news|last=Eames|first=David|title=Waihopai a key link in global intelligence network|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10632956|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=28 January 2014|date=19 March 2010|quote=Both Waihopai and the Tangimoana radio listening post near Palmerston North have been identified as key players in the United States-led Echelon spy programme.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203154030/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10632956|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 11, 2021 |title=GCSB To Remove Dishes And Radomes At Waihopai Station |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2111/S00100/gcsb-to-remove-dishes-and-radomes-at-waihopai-station.htm |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=www.scoop.co.nz |archive-date=10 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110185137/https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2111/S00100/gcsb-to-remove-dishes-and-radomes-at-waihopai-station.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [https://www.google.com/maps/place/41°34'36.0%22S+173°44'20.0%22E/@-41.5766667,173.7367002,637m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xe443b69f60d26b6f!8m2!3d-41.5766667!4d173.7388889 Map]
* [[GCSB Tangimoana]] ([[Manawatū-Whanganui]], New Zealand)<ref name="waihopai" /> [https://www.google.com/maps/place/40°18'53.9%22S+175°14'59.4%22E/@-40.3149153,175.2489624,325m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xaa0a5ce7481c3715!8m2!3d-40.314974!4d175.249845?hl=en Map]
* [[CFS Leitrim]] ([[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], Canada)<ref>{{cite book|editor1-first=David S. |editor1-last=Greisler |editor2-first=Ronald J. |editor2-last=Stupak|title=Handbook of technology management in public administration|year=2007|publisher=CRC/Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1420017014|page=592}}</ref> [https://www.google.com/maps/place/CFS+Leitrim/@45.3351426,-75.5879219,17.06z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cce097ddead0985:0x725e3e4dd21c175!8m2!3d45.3367779!4d-75.58705?hl=en&coh=164777&entry=tt Map]
* [[Teufelsberg|Teufelsberg (''Closed 1992)'']], *Berlin, Germany<ref>{{cite web|title=Teufelsberg mirrors Berlin's dramatic history|url=http://www.dw.de/teufelsberg-mirrors-berlins-dramatic-history/a-17074597|publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]]|access-date=28 January 2014|quote=More than 1,000 people are said to have worked here around the clock, every day of the year. They were part of the global ECHELON surveillance network.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222034200/http://www.dw.de/teufelsberg-mirrors-berlins-dramatic-history/a-17074597|archive-date=22 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> – Responsible for listening in to the [[Eastern Bloc]].)<ref>{{cite news|last=Beddow|first=Rachel|title=Teufelsberg, Berlin's Undisputed King of Ghostowns, Set For Redevelopment|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/nprberlinblog/2012/04/16/150730955/teufelsberg-berlins-undisputed-king-of-ghostowns-set-for-redevelopment|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=19 April 2012|access-date=28 January 2014|quote=The Teufelsberg mission is still shrouded in secrecy, but it's generally agreed that the station was part of the ECHELON network that listened in to the Eastern Bloc.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201225651/http://www.npr.org/blogs/nprberlinblog/2012/04/16/150730955/teufelsberg-berlins-undisputed-king-of-ghostowns-set-for-redevelopment|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Teufelsberg/@52.4975525,13.240913,91a,35y,270h/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47a8573fe4a96587:0x4271141cdf8809c4!8m2!3d52.4971371!4d13.2396076?hl=en&coh=164777&entry=tt Map]

* [[Ayios Nikolaos Station|Ayios Nikolaos]] ([[Akrotiri and Dhekelia|British Sovereign Base area of Dhekelia]], [[Cyprus]] – Cyprus)
* [[Gibraltar]] (UK)
* [[Diego Garcia]] (UK)
* [[Bad Aibling Station]] ([[Bad Aibling]], Germany – US)
** relocated to [[Griesheim (Hesse)|Griesheim]]/[[Darmstadt]] in 2004.<ref>According to a statement by Terence Dudlee, the speaker of the US Navy in London, in an interview to the German HR ([[Hessischer Rundfunk]])<br />{{cite web |url=http://www6.hr-online.de/website/rubriken/nachrichten/index.jsp?rubrik=5710&key=standard_document_2406678 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070630004752/http://www6.hr-online.de/website/rubriken/nachrichten/index.jsp?rubrik=5710&key=standard_document_2406678 |archive-date=30 June 2007 |title=US-Armee lauscht von Darmstadt aus |url-status=dead |access-date=19 August 2016}} (German), ''[[Hessischer Rundfunk|hr online]]'', 1 October 2004</ref>
* [[Fort Gordon]] ([[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], US)
* [[CFB Gander]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]], Canada)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jproc.ca/rrp/leitrim.html|title=CFS Leitrim|access-date=16 October 2021|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016153041/http://jproc.ca/rrp/leitrim.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=canadian military history|url=https://militarybruce.com/abandoned-canadian-military-bases/the-future/newfoundland-labrador/|access-date=14 November 2020|archive-date=20 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120081947/https://militarybruce.com/abandoned-canadian-military-bases/the-future/newfoundland-labrador/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Guam]] (Pacific Ocean, US)
* [[Kunia Regional SIGINT Operations Center]] (Hawaii, US)
* [[Lackland Air Force Base]], [[Texas Cryptology Center|Medina Annex]] ([[San Antonio]], Texas, US)
* [[RAF Edzell|RAF Edzell (Closed 1996)]] (Scotland)<ref name="EP" />
* [[RAF Boulmer]] (England)<ref name="EP" />
* SNICK International Processing Center ([[Seeb]], [[Oman]]) [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Overseas+Processing+Centre+1,+Sib,+Oman/@23.6750237,58.1208272,428m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x3e8de449f50674ad:0x77d5235c69cb15c4!8m2!3d23.6746029!4d58.121681!5m1!1e4?hl=en&coh=164777&entry=tt Map]

== History and context ==
[[File:Echelon-yakima-02.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|Equipment at the Yakima Research Station (YRS) in the early days of the ECHELON program]]
The ability to intercept communications depends on the medium used, be it [[radio]], [[satellite]], [[microwave]], [[cellular network|cellular]] or [[Optical fiber|fiber-optic]].<ref name="EP" /> During [[World War II]] and through the 1950s, [[high frequency|high-frequency]] ("short-wave") radio was widely used for military and diplomatic communication<ref>''[[The Codebreakers]]'', Ch. 10, 11</ref> and could be intercepted at great distances.<ref name="EP" /> The rise of [[geostationary]] [[communications satellites]] in the 1960s presented new possibilities for intercepting international communications.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Keefe|first=Patrick Radden|title=Chatter: Uncovering the echelon surveillance network and the secret world of global eavesdropping|publisher=Random House Incorporated}}</ref> In 1964, plans for the establishment of the ECHELON [[Telecommunications network|network]] took off after dozens of countries agreed to establish the [[International Telecommunications Satellite Organization]] (Intelsat), which would own and operate a global constellation of [[communications satellite]]s.<ref name="zdnetduncan">{{cite news|first=Duncan|last=Campbell|title=Echelon: World under watch, an introduction|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/echelon-world-under-watch-an-introduction/|work=[[ZDNet]]|access-date=19 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219051441/http://www.zdnet.com/echelon-world-under-watch-an-introduction-3002079845/|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Echelon-yakima-01.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|Teletype operators at the Yakima Research Station (YRS) in the early days of the ECHELON program]]
In 1966, the first [[Intelsat]] [[satellite]] was launched into orbit. From 1970 to 1971, the [[Government Communications Headquarters]] (GCHQ) of [[United Kingdom|Britain]] began to operate a secret signal station at [[Morwenstow]], near [[Bude]] in [[Cornwall]], England. The station intercepted [[satellite communications]] over the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] and [[Indian Ocean]]s. Soon afterwards, the US [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) built a second signal station at [[Yakima, Washington|Yakima]], near [[Seattle]], for the interception of satellite communications over the [[Pacific Ocean]].<ref name="zdnetduncan"/> In 1981, [[GCHQ]] and the NSA started the construction of the first global [[wide area network]] (WAN). Soon after Australia, Canada, and New Zealand joined the ECHELON system.<ref name="zdnetduncan" /> The report to the European Parliament of 2001 states: "If [[UKUSA]] states operate listening stations in the relevant regions of the earth, in principle they can intercept all telephone, fax, and data traffic transmitted via such satellites."<ref name="EP" />

Most reports on ECHELON focus on satellite interception. Testimony before the [[European Parliament]] indicated that separate but similar UKUSA systems are in place to monitor communication through undersea cables, microwave transmissions, and other lines.<ref name="Hager">For example: {{cite web |url=http://cryptome.org/echelon-nh.htm |title=Nicky Hager Appearance before the Euro ean Parliament ECHELON Committee |date=April 2001 |access-date=2 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011021055210/http://cryptome.org/echelon-nh.htm |archive-date=21 October 2001 |url-status=live }}</ref> The report to the [[European Parliament]] points out that interception of private communications by foreign intelligence services is not necessarily limited to the US or British foreign intelligence services.<ref name="EP" /> The role of satellites in point-to-point voice and data communications has largely been supplanted by [[fiber optics]]. In 2006, 99% of the world's long-distance voice and data traffic was carried over [[fiber optics|optical-fiber]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.cnet.com/NSA+eavesdropping+How+it+might+work/2100-1028_3-6035910.html | title=NSA eavesdropping: How it might work | work=CNET News.com | access-date=27 August 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714124934/http://news.cnet.com/NSA+eavesdropping+How+it+might+work/2100-1028_3-6035910.html | archive-date=14 July 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref> The proportion of international communications accounted for by satellite links is said to have decreased substantially to an amount between 0.4% and 5% in Central Europe.<ref name="EP" /> Even in less-developed parts of the world, [[communications satellites]] are used largely for point-to-multipoint applications, such as video.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/1117944.html | title=Commercial Geostationary Satellite Transponder Markets for Latin America : Market Research Report | access-date=27 August 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314021111/http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/1117944.html | archive-date=14 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> Thus, the majority of communications can no longer be intercepted by earth stations; they can only be collected by tapping cables and intercepting line-of-sight microwave signals, which is possible only to a limited extent.<ref name="EP" />

==Concerns==
[[British people|British]] journalist [[Duncan Campbell (journalist, born 1952)|Duncan Campbell]] and [[New Zealand]] journalist Nicky Hager said in the 1990s that the United States was exploiting ECHELON traffic for [[industrial espionage]], rather than military and diplomatic purposes.<ref name=Hager/> Examples alleged by the journalists include the gear-less wind turbine technology designed by the [[Germany|German]] firm [[Enercon]]<ref name=EP /><ref>Die Zeit: 40/1999 "''Verrat unter Freunden''{{-"}} ("Treachery among friends", German), available at {{cite web|url=http://www.zeit.de/1999/40/199940.nsa_2_.xml |title=Zeit.de |access-date=2007-08-19 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009044725/http://www.zeit.de/1999/40/199940.nsa_2_.xml |archive-date=9 October 2008}}</ref> and the speech technology developed by the [[Belgium|Belgian]] firm [[Lernout & Hauspie]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.daanspeak.com/Hypocratie09.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208113619/http://www.daanspeak.com/Hypocratie09.html |archive-date=8 February 2012 |date=30 March 2002 |title=Amerikanen maakten met Echelon L&H kapot |access-date=28 March 2008 |publisher=daanspeak.com |url-status=dead}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.daanspeak.com/Hypocratie09.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result Google's translation of the article into English] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231090243/https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.daanspeak.com%2FHypocratie09.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result |date=31 December 2018 }}).</ref>

In 2001, the Temporary Committee on the ECHELON Interception System recommended to the [[European Parliament]] that citizens of member states routinely use [[cryptography]] in their communications to protect their privacy, because [[economic espionage]] with ECHELON has been conducted by the US intelligence agencies.<ref name = EP/>

American author [[James Bamford]] provides an alternative view, highlighting that legislation prohibits the use of intercepted communications for commercial purposes, although he does not elaborate on how intercepted communications are used as part of an all-source intelligence process.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The National Security Agency Declassified |url=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB24/index.htm |access-date=2020-10-31 |website=nsarchive2.gwu.edu |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025173335/https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB24/index.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

In its report, the committee of the European Parliament stated categorically that the Echelon network was being used to intercept not only military communications, but also private and business ones. In its epigraph to the report, the parliamentary committee quoted [[Juvenal]], "{{lang|la|Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes}}" ("But who will watch the watchers").<ref name = EP/> James Bamford, in ''The Guardian'' in May 2001, warned that if Echelon were to continue unchecked, it could become a "cyber secret police, without courts, juries, or the right to a defence".<ref>Bustillos, Maria (9 June 2013). [http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/06/a-reflection-in-the-nsas-prism.html "Our reflection in the N.S.A.'s PRISM"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014213634/http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/06/a-reflection-in-the-nsas-prism.html |date=14 October 2013 }}. ''The New Yorker''. Retrieved: 2013-10-12.</ref>

Alleged examples of espionage conducted by the members of the "[[Five Eyes]]" include:
* On behalf of the British [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]], the [[Communications Security Establishment]] allegedly spied on two British cabinet ministers in 1983.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thatcher 'spied on ministers' |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/655996.stm |publisher=BBC |date=25 February 2000 |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021015414/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/655996.stm |archive-date=21 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* The US National Security Agency spied on and intercepted the phone calls of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] right up until she died in a [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|Paris car crash with Dodi Fayed]] in 1997. The [[NSA]] currently holds 1,056 pages of information about Princess Diana, which has been classified as [[Classified information|top secret]] "because their disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the [[national security]]&nbsp;... the damage would be caused not by the information about Diana, but because the documents would disclose 'sources and methods' of US intelligence gathering".<ref name="Diana01a">{{cite news |first=Vernon |last=Loeb |title=NSA Admits to Spying on Princess Diana |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/dec98/diana12.htm |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=12 December 1998 |access-date=20 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109051540/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/dec98/diana12.htm |archive-date=9 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> An official said that "the references to Diana in intercepted conversations were 'incidental{{'"}}, and she was never a "target" of the NSA eavesdropping.<ref name=Diana01a/>
* UK agents monitored the conversations of the 7th [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]], [[Kofi Annan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=UK 'spied on UN's Kofi Annan' |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3488548.stm |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 September 2013 |date=26 February 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029112154/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3488548.stm |archive-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Patrick E. |last=Tyler |title=Ex-Minister Says British Spies Bugged Kofi Annan's Office |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/26/international/europe/26CND-BRIT.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=21 September 2013 |date=26 February 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925063926/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/26/international/europe/26CND-BRIT.html |archive-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* US agents gathered "detailed biometric information" on the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, [[Ban Ki-moon]].<ref name="clintonbankimoon">{{cite web |title=US diplomats spied on UN leadership |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cables-spying-un |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 November 2010 |access-date=27 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910075646/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cables-spying-un |archive-date=10 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="banspiegel">{{cite news |first1=Marcel |last1=Rosenbach |first2=Holger |last2=Stark |title=Diplomats or Spooks? How US Diplomats Were Told to Spy on UN and Ban Ki-Moon |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/diplomats-or-spooks-how-us-diplomats-were-told-to-spy-on-un-and-ban-ki-moon-a-731747.html |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=29 November 2010 |access-date=27 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821031901/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/diplomats-or-spooks-how-us-diplomats-were-told-to-spy-on-un-and-ban-ki-moon-a-731747.html |archive-date=21 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* In the early 1990s, the US National Security Agency intercepted the communications between the [[Europe]]an aerospace company [[Airbus]] and the [[Saudi Arabia]]n national airline. In 1994, [[Airbus]] lost a $6&nbsp;billion contract with [[Saudi Arabia]] after the NSA, acting as a [[whistleblower]], reported that [[Airbus]] officials had been bribing [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] officials to secure the contract.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/820758.stm |title=Echelon: Big brother without a cause |access-date=27 August 2006 |date=6 July 2000 |work=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107065132/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/820758.stm |archive-date=7 January 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, the American aerospace company [[McDonnell Douglas]] (now part of [[Boeing]]) won the multibillion-dollar contract instead of [[Airbus]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Airbus's secret past |url=https://www.economist.com/special-report/2003/06/12/airbuss-secret-past |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |access-date=15 October 2013 |date=14 June 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021194132/http://www.economist.com/node/1842124 |archive-date=21 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* The United States defense contractor [[Raytheon]] won a US$1.3&nbsp;billion contract with the [[Government of Brazil]] to monitor the [[Amazon rainforest]] after the US [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), acting as a [[whistleblower]], reported that Raytheon's [[France|French]] competitor [[Thomson-Alcatel]] had been paying bribes to get the contract.<ref>{{cite web |title=Big Surveillance Project For the Amazon Jungle Teeters Over Scandals |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0125/25071.html/%28page%29/2 |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225107/http://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0125/25071.html/(page)/2 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* In order to boost the United States position in trade negotiations with the then [[Japan|Japanese]] Trade Minister [[Ryutaro Hashimoto]], in 1995 the [[CIA]] eavesdropped on the conversations between Japanese bureaucrats and executives of car manufacturers [[Toyota]] and [[Nissan]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=David E. Sanger |author2=Tim Weiner |title=Emerging Role For the C.I.A.: Economic Spy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/15/world/emerging-role-for-the-cia-economic-spy.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=15 October 2013 |date=15 October 1995 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710032224/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/15/world/emerging-role-for-the-cia-economic-spy.html |archive-date=10 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Workings ==
[[File:Echelon-yakima-diagram.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|System diagram of the ECHELON satellite intercept station of the NSA at the Yakima Research Station (YRS)<ref name="yrs2011">The Northwest Passage, Yakima Research Station (YRS) newsletter: [http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2189960-nwp-nsa.html Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2011]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922172422/http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2189960-nwp-nsa.html |date=22 September 2015 }}.</ref>
{{unbulleted list
| TOPCO – Terminal Operations Control
| CCS – Computer Control Subsystem
| STEAMS – System Test, Evaluation, Analysis, and Monitoring Subsystem
| SPS – Signal Processing Subsystem
| TTDM – Teletype Demodulator
}}]]
The first United States [[satellite]] ground station for the ECHELON collection program was built in 1971 at a military firing and training center near [[Yakima, Washington]]. The facility, which was codenamed JACKKNIFE, was an investment of about 21.3&nbsp;million dollars and had around 90 people. [[Satellite]] traffic was intercepted by a 30-meter single-dish antenna. The station became fully operational on 4&nbsp;October 1974. It was connected with NSA headquarters at Fort Meade by a 75-[[baud]] secure Teletype orderwire channel.<ref name=yrs />

In 1999 the [[Australian Senate]] [[Joint Standing Committee on Treaties]] was told by Professor [[Desmond Ball]] that the [[Pine Gap]] facility was used as a ground station for a satellite-based interception network. The satellites were said to be large radio dishes between 20 and 100&nbsp;meters in diameter in [[geostationary orbit]]s. The original purpose of the network was to monitor the [[telemetry]] from 1970s [[:Category:Cold War weapons of the Soviet Union|Soviet weapons]], air defence and other radars' capabilities, satellites' ground stations' transmissions and ground-based [[microwave transmission]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/joint/commttee/j2408.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608040058/http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/joint/commttee/j2408.pdf |archive-date=8 June 2011 |title=Pine Gap |url-status=dead |access-date=19 August 2016}}, Official Committee Hansard, Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, 9 August 1999. Commonwealth of Australia.</ref>

=== Examples of industrial espionage ===
In 1999, Enercon, a [[Germany|German]] company and leading manufacturer of wind-energy equipment, developed a breakthrough generator for wind turbines. After applying for a US patent, it had learned that Kenetech, an American rival, had submitted an almost identical patent application shortly before. By the statement of a former [[NSA]] employee, it was later claimed that the NSA had secretly intercepted and monitored [[Enercon]]'s data communications and conference calls and passed information regarding the new generator to Kenetech.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/program/process/rapport_echelon_en.pdf |title=Report on the existence of a global system for the interception of private and commercial communications (ECHELON interception system) (2001/2098(INI)) |last=Schmid |first=Gerhard |date=2001-07-11 |access-date=2018-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628043116/https://fas.org/irp/program/process/rapport_echelon_en.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, later German media reports contradicted this story, as it was revealed that the American patent in question was actually filed three years before the alleged wiretapping was said to have taken place.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sattar |first1=Majid |title=NSA-Affäre: Ja, meine Freunde, wir spionieren euch aus! |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/amerika/nsa-affaere-ja-meine-freunde-wir-spionieren-euch-aus-12267465-p2.html |website=FAZ.NET |date=July 2013 |language=de |access-date=21 November 2022 |archive-date=21 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121023532/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/amerika/nsa-affaere-ja-meine-freunde-wir-spionieren-euch-aus-12267465-p2.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As German intelligence services are forbidden from engaging in industrial or economic espionage, German companies have complained that this leaves them defenceless against industrial espionage from the United States or Russia. According to Wolfgang Hoffmann, a former manager at [[Bayer]], German intelligence services know which companies are being targeted by US intelligence agencies, but refuse to inform the companies involved.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/electronic-spies-torture-german-firms-1.174447 |title=Electronic spies torture German firms |last=Staunton |first=Denis |date=1999-04-16 |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=2018-08-06 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921162157/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/electronic-spies-torture-german-firms-1.174447 |archive-date=21 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)]]
* [[ADVISE]]
* [[Frenchelon]]
* [[List of government surveillance projects]]
* [[Mass surveillance]]
* [[Onyx (interception system)]], the Swiss "Echelon"
* [[Operation Ivy Bells]]

== Bibliography ==
* Aldrich, Richard J.; ''GCHQ: The Uncensored Story of Britain's Most Secret Intelligence Agency'', HarperCollins, July 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-00-727847-3}}
* Bamford, James; ''[[The Puzzle Palace]]'', Penguin, {{ISBN|0-14-006748-5}}; 1983
* Bamford, James; ''The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America'', Doubleday, {{ISBN|0-385-52132-4}}; 2008
* Hager, Nicky; ''Secret Power: New Zealand's Role in the International Spy Network''; Craig Potton Publishing, Nelson, NZ; {{ISBN|0-908802-35-8}}; 1996
* Keefe, Patrick Radden ''Chatter: Dispatches from the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping''; Random House Publishing, New York, NY; {{ISBN|1-4000-6034-6}}; 2005
* {{cite book | last=Keefe | first=Patrick | title=Chatter : uncovering the echelon surveillance network and the secret world of global eavesdropping | publisher=Random House Trade Paperbacks | location=New York | year=2006 | isbn=978-0-8129-6827-9 }}
* Lawner, Kevin J.; [http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr/vol14/iss2/7 Post-Sept. 11th International Surveillance Activity - A Failure of Intelligence: The Echelon Interception System & the Fundamental Right to Privacy in Europe], 14 ''Pace Int'l L. Rev''. 435 (2002)

== Notes and references ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Echelon}}
* {{cite web |url= https://theintercept.com/2015/08/03/life-unmasking-british-eavesdroppers/ |title= GCHQ and Me, My Life Unmasking British Eavesdroppers |date= 3 August 2015 |website= The Intercept |first= Duncan |last= Campbell }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/7/7747/1.html |title= Paper 1: Echelon and its role in COMINT |date= 27 May 2001 |website= Heise }}

{{Espionage}}
{{Intelligence cycle management}}
{{Signals intelligence agencies}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Echelon}}
[[Category:Anglosphere]]
[[Category:National Security Agency]]
[[Category:Government databases in the United States]]
[[Category:Privacy in the United States]]
[[Category:Signals intelligence]]
[[Category:Mass surveillance]]
[[Category:Privacy of telecommunications]]
[[Category:Lockheed Martin]]
[[Category:Mass intelligence-gathering systems]]
[[Category:Cyberwarfare]]
[[Category:Surveillance databases]]
[[Category:Global surveillance]]
[[Category:Lockheed Corporation]]
[[Category:Cold War history of Australia]]