1999
From a report to the European parliament:
"Within Europe, all email, telephone and fax communications are routinely intercepted by the United States National Security Agency, transferring all target information from the European mainland ... to [The headquarter of NSA]... a global surveillance system that stretches around the world to form a targeting system on all of the key Intelsat satellites used to convey most of the world's satellite phone calls, internet, email, faxes and telexes. ...unlike many of the electronic spy systems developed during the cold war, Echelon is designed for primarily non-military targets: governments, organizations and businesses in virtually every country... Five nations share the results with the US as the senior partner ... Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia are very much acting as subordinate information servicers."
While the goal of "jamming up" Echelon is a lofty and likely unattainable one, is it not better to signal displeasure at being monitored than passively allow it to happen? We believe so. Privacy should not be something that's considered only after it's been breached. This website was created with a dual purpose.
All we are asking you to do is inform your friends. Send them an email on October 21st telling them about Echelon, and by all means include a few, or all, of the "trigger words" from the list. Of course, using them on a regular basis is even more effective.
The European Union discovered that there was little that they could do to address the abolition of Echelon. They issued their report to the World, folded their tents and went home. Well, if Echelon won't go away and won't cease intruding on our privacy, then the least we can do is help them out by making sure they have plenty to do.
View the new media release about "Jam Echelon Day" here.