NSA Watch | Echelon

Information on NSA's Echelon Program

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Echelon

NSA's Automated Surveillance Program
Echelon Research Resources
Patrick Poole, Deputy Director of the Center for Technology Policy (a division of the Free Congress Foundation), has compiled an extensive listing of materials concerning NSA spy program ECHELON.

Duncan Campbell page
Mr. Campbell was the author of "Intelligence Capabilities 2000", and has investigated Echelon's activities for decades.

European Parliament Temporary Committee Final Resolution
A European Parliament investigatory committee issued a Final Resolution regarding possible ECHELON abuses in 2001.

• Text of Final Resolution
• Minority Report #1 (Turco)
• Minority Report #2 (Schroeder)

Map of Echelon network
This German language map, courtesy of FAS, shows the location of Echelon bases around the world.

Intelligence Capabilities 2000
This report to the European Parliament was written by Duncan Campbell, and describes ECHELON activities in great detail.

• HTML format
• PDF format

Intelligence Capabilities 2000 is one of a series of reports on the "Development of surveillance technology and risk of abuse of economic information." The following reports are in PDF format.

• Presentation of the four studies and Analysis: Data protection and human rights in the European Union and the role of the European Parliament.
• Encryption and cryptosystems in electronic surveillance: a survey of the technology assessment issues.
• The legality of the interception of electronic communications: a concise survey of the principal legal issues and instruments under international, European and national law.
• The perception of economic risks arising from the potential vulnerability of electronic commercial media to interception.

"An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control" -- Scientific and Technological Options Assessment (STOA)
This document was one of the first reports to the European Parliament that described Echelon activities and possible improprieties.

National Security Archives
This research institute is based at George Washington University, and is dedicated to collecting and publishing declassified documents. They have recently uncovered several U.S. Government papers which apparently confirm the existence of ECHELON and describe its structure. Read the documents and decide for yourself by clicking below.

• History of the Air Intelligence Agency
• NAVSECGRU INSTRUCTION C5450.48A

U.S. Patent No. 5, 418, 951
ECHELON also purportedly uses a special type of search engine to find pertinent material. This patent contains more details on this technology.

via nsawatch.org