[FYI] Interception Capabilities 2000 ("IC2000")

[Horns@t-online.de (Axel H. Horns)]

http://jya.com/ic2000-dc.htm

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7 May 1999 

Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 21:53:41 +0100
To: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
From: IPTV Ltd <iptv@cwcom.net>
Subject: Communications interception and ECHELON : 1999 STOA report
for
  European Parliament released

6 May 1999 (for release 7 May 1999)

Interception Capabilities 2000        ("IC2000")

The IC2000 report on communications interception and ECHELON was
approved as a working document by the Science and Technology Options
Assessment Panel of the European Parliament (STOA) at their meeting in
Strasbourg on 6 May 1999.

The report is therefore available for public distribution from the
European Parliament office in Luxembourg.  A web version has been
prepared and will be placed on the on the EP web site.   Until that
version is loaded, specialist groups and media writers can obtain the
report from the temoporary web site listed at the end of this message.


Duncan Campbell
IPTV Ltd, Edinburgh
+ 44 131 656 6566


Key findings of the IC2000 report

·       Comprehensive systems exist to access, intercept and 
process every important modern form of  communications, with few
exceptions (section 2, technical annexe);

·       The report provides original new documentary and other 
evidence about the ECHELON system and its role in the interception of
communication satellites (section 3). In excess of 120 satellite based
systems are currently in simultaneous operation collecting
intelligence (section 2).    Submarines are routinely used to access
and intercept undersea communications systems.

·       There is wide-ranging evidence indicating that major
governments are routinely utilising communications intelligence to
provide commercial advantage to companies and trade.

·       Although "word spotting" search systems to automatically
select telephone calls of intelligence interest are not thought to be
effective, speaker recognition  systems  in effect, "voiceprints" 
have been developed and are deployed to recognise the speech of
targeted individuals making international telephone calls;

·       Recent diplomatic initiatives by the United States government
seeking European agreement to the "key escrow" system of cryptography
masked intelligence collection requirements, forming part of a
long-term program which has undermined and continues to undermine the
communications privacy European companies and citizens;

·       Interception for legally authorised domestic interception and
interception for clandestine intelligence purposes must be sharply
distinguished.  A clear boundary between law enforcement and "national
security" interception activity is essential to the protection of
human rights and fundamental freedoms.

·       Providing the measures called for in the 1998 Parliamentary
resolution on "Transatlantic relations/ECHELON measures may be
facilitated by developing an in-depth understanding of present and
future Comint capabilities.   Protective measures may best be focused
on defeating hostile Comint activity by denying access or, where this
is impractical or impossible, preventing processing of message content
and associated traffic information by general use of cryptography.

·       In relation to the manner in which Internet browsers and other
software is deliberately weakened for use by other than US citizens,
consideration could be given to a countermeasure whereby, if systems
with disabled cryptographic systems are sold outside the United
States, they should be required to conform to an "open standard" such
that third parties and other nations may provide additional
applications which restore the level of security to at least that
enjoyed by domestic US customers.

·       It should be possible to define and enforce a shared interest
in implementing measures to defeat future external Sigint activities
directed against European states, citizens and commercial activities.

The report is available at http://www.gn.apc.org/duncan/stoa_cover.htm
[1,101K]

[End message]
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A text-only version of IC2000 (with selected images) is offered:

   http://jya.com/ic2000-text.htm (356K)

Or Zipped:

   http://jya.com/ic2000-text.zip (189K)

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