IP: [say it is intentional ...] Secret American spy photos broadcast unencrypted over satellite TV

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: finin <finin () cs umbc edu>
Organization: http://umbc.edu/
Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 08:54:40 -0400
To: farber () cis upenn edu
Subject: Secret American spy photos broadcast unencrypted over satellite TV

Now showing on satellite TV: secret American spy photos
  Security lapse allows viewers to see sensitive operations
Duncan Campbell , Thursday June 13, 2002, The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,736462,00.html

European satellite TV viewers can watch live broadcasts of
peacekeeping and anti-terrorist operations being conducted by US
spyplanes over the Balkans.  Normally secret video links from the
American spies-in-the-sky have a serious security problem - a problem
that make it easier for terrorists to tune in to live video of US
intelligence activity than to get Disney cartoons or new-release
movies.

For more than six months live pictures from manned spy aircraft
and drones have been broadcast through a satellite over Brazil.
The satellite, Telstar 11, is a commercial TV relay. The US
spyplane broadcasts are not encrypted, meaning that anyone in
the region with a normal satellite TV receiver can watch
surveillance operations as they happen.

The satellite feeds have also been connected to the internet,
potentially allowing the missions to be watched from around the
globe. 

...

--
 Tim Finin, Prof Computer Science & Electrical Eng, Director Inst. for
Global
 Electronic Commerce, U Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop, Baltimore
MD
 21250. mailto:finin () umbc edu 410-455-3522 fax:-3969 http://umbc.edu/~finin/


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