Wired: Echelon Furor Ends in a Whimper

[Owen Lewis]

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> From: ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> [mailto:ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk]On Behalf Of Owen Blacker
> Sent: 05 July 2001 10:17
> To: UK Crypto list (E-mail)
> Subject: Wired: Echelon Furor Ends in a Whimper
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> http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,44984,00.html
>
> | Echelon Furor Ends in a Whimper
> | By Steve Kettmann <kettmann@aol.com>
> | 3:00 p.m. July 3, 2001 PDT
> |
> | STRASBOURG, France -- In the end, a year of hard work boils
> down to this:
> | Echelon exists and the Europeans don't like it, but there isn't
> much they
> | can do except wring their hands in impotent fury as the Americans
> | continue spying on whomever they please.

True, O Wise One. But you might have added that so do the EU states carry on
spying as they please (I make an honourable exception for Luxembourg from
that generality).
> |
> | The resolution approved Tuesday by a European Parliament
> committee set up
> | to investigate the satellite-based surveillance system condemned
> | Echelon's existence but, aside from agreeing to step up meaningful
> | rhetorical pressure on the Americans, achieved very little.

I spy an oxymoron. Is this the first to be spied this year?

> |
> | The committee officially wrapped up its inquiry late Tuesday by passing
> | more than 60 of 160 amendments before approving the entire resolution,
> | 27 to 5. There were two abstentions.

It would be interesting to know who and of which nationalities the
dissenting or abstaining members were. Let's guess that UKG is one and that
Spain (now reported to be a recipient of ECHELON take in its struggle with
ETA) is another. Interestingly, it is not similarly reported that France
(also suffering from the Basque violent separatist threat) is to receive
ECHELON take. Of course, this may be because the Franco-German co-operative
effort along the same lines is already giving them all the feed they need.
|
> | Some of the amendments sought to add a harder edge to the language of
> | committee head Gerhard Schmid of Germany, whose 113-page report was
> | hailed for its balance and fairness, which is often politician-speak for
> | blandness.

'Bland' is too kind. The report as someone kindly reproduced hear was
unprofessional, wet behind the ears, poor politics and a disservice to
European unity. It had all the authoritative ring of a politically correct
diatribe from some loony left borough council.

> | Di Lello Finuoli believes the system widely known as Echelon -- which
> | Schmid's report says may or may not be accurate -- will continue to
> | operate with impunity.

Hands up those who are surprised. What, no one?

> | "Everything will continue on as it has in the past. It is possible to
> | conduct espionage from one country of the European Union on another
> | without any consequences. This group has done some very good work, but I
> | think the mountain has given birth to a mouse."
> |
> | That's how his remarks were translated, at any rate.

Well, its politer that the thunderstorm giving vent to a wet fart, which is
how some others might have preferred to describe it.

> | Schmid defended his support of European investment in decryption, not
> | just encryption, which some critics see as de facto acknowledgement that
> | Europe has its own plans for an Echelon-type system. Then he hurried out
> | of the meeting room, waving off questions and saying his comments would
> | come at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday morning.
> |

After national and bi-lateral consultations naturally.


> | Then there's Amendment No 94, stating that the committee "regards it as
> | essential that an agreement should be ... signed between the European
> | Union and the United States stipulating that each ... should observe ...
> | the provisions governing the protection of the citizens and the
> | confidentiality of business communications applicable to its
> own citizens
> | and firms...."
> |
> | In other words, knock off the industrial espionage, Yank.

Oh, my sides hurt. It's in France, that cradle of republicanism, democracy
and political terror, that the VIP suites in 5 star hotels are bugged (q.v.
BAE/Aerospatiale negotiations 2000 et al). Eavesdropping is an Italian
national sport with some of the most innovative products coming from that
fair land of olive oil, pasta, the Borgias, Guelphs and Ghibellines.

For the last 50 years, the Germans have been to busy spying on each other to
worry much about the rest of us - but that may now change. Well past the
height of the Cold War there were over 16,000 *known* Sov bloc agents
(mainly STASI for obvious reasons)in the FRG. God knows the number that were
not known. The known one's were mainly left alone to save the trouble and
expense of having to identify their replacements - like a dog so fleabitten
that it no longer sees the point in scratching. And how many BND agents were
in the East??? Ah well, the East'lost' and the West 'won' so we talk about
the one and not the other, don't we?

> | Language was also added referring to "authoritative sources"
> confirming a
> | US congressional report which estimated that economic intelligence
> | funneled from the government could give US companies up to $7 billion in
> | added contracts.

In the case of France, there is documentation going way back into the '80's,
if not before, of their sterling efforts at industrial espionage against
allies.

> | "We are being completely hypocritical," said Alain M Krivine of France.
> | "All countries are engaged in political and (industrial)
> espionage.

I agree with these frank premises, if not entirely with the conclusion and
its corollary.

 It is
> | just a question of power, and the United States has the most
> power. It is
> | part and parcel of globalization. However, the United States are not the
> | only ones who are promoting capitalism this way."
> |
> | Copyright  1994-2001 Wired Digital Inc. All rights reserved.
> | <http://hotwired.lycos.com/home/copyright.html>

Keywords for the week are:

		Pot		Kettle		Black

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