Echelon in the News

We've been deluged with Echelon stories today, although as far as I can tell, there was no real news about it whatsoever. The committee examining Echelon met today, and that was apparently enough of an excuse for news agencies to report stories based on the draft report that was leaked last week. (The final report isn't due to be presented until September - it doesn't appear that today's committee meeting actually released anything.) News stories from here and there: CNN, BBC, Computerworld... well, I'll skip the non-English ones. And if you're wondering what this "Echelon" thing is, there's a handy guide.

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[webword]

Echelon Watch

Society > Issues > Human Rights and Liberties > Privacy

Definition of the word echelon

Security?

[Moonshadow]

The fact of the matter is, there is no such thing as absolute security/privacy on the internet. If an entity is determined enough, they can, and will, gain access to information X. It's only a matter of time. Information cannot be exchanged without the possibility of it being intercepted or accessed by someone other than the intended recipient. The RIAA and MPAA are certainly examples of that: despite their best efforts, if one is determined to illegally obtain a copy of media product Y, they will, and there's very little they can do to prevent it. If information can be legally viewed/accessed, it can be illegally, as well.

That said, does that make it right for the government to monitor our communications? Sure, they do it in the name of national security, but honestly, how often do you think they're going to use it to prevent a terrorist attack, as opposed to, say, browsing through your email? Echelon is an invasion of privacy, clear and simple. It's just one the general public doesn't know about, and the government can pretty much get away with - for now. It's kinda the equivalent of the postal office opening all your mail, reading it, then repackaging it and sending it to you.

[sarcasm] Never mind that there was sensitive or personal information in that letter - by God, it's their right to know! And besides they're doing it for our own good! I mean, where would we be if we didn't have the government to protect us from ourselves?[/sarcasm]

Where is accountability to the public?

[ColGraff]

What disturbs me most about Echelon is that there is no public accountability whatsoever, or even an admission to the public that Echelon exists.

Consider: In the United States, a warrant is needed for a phone wiretap, video surveillance, seaches, etc. These warrants have to be approved by a judge - that's public accountability. The judge is a public official appointed by elected officials - wiretaps and searches are authorized by a person only one step away from elected officials who are directly responsible to the people.

Echelon isn't like that. There are no warrants, we have no idea who approves an Echelon search, and there is no accountability to the people, because the people don't know which elected officials, if any, have oversight. If a governor appoints a judge who makes boneheaded decisions about warrants, the public can refuse to re-elect the governor. How does the public know who to NOT vote for if a mistake is made with Echelon? How does the public even know if a mistake has been made?

The worst part of all is that the US government refuses to even admit the dang thing exists, and without such an admission, there's nothing even the ACLU can do. How do you force the government to disclose something that "doesn't exist"?