FC: European Parliament votes to investigate Echelon; UK RIP update

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,37394,00.html

EU to Search for Echelon 
Reuters 

7:00 a.m. Jul. 5, 2000 PDT 
STRASBOURG, France -- The European Parliament voted on
Wednesday to form a committee to investigate allegations the
United States and allies like Britain used Cold War satellites to
conduct industrial espionage in Europe. 

The U.S. Echelon spy system of satellites and listening posts can
-- assuming it even exists -- intercept millions of telephone, fax,
and e-mail messages and Washington has been accused of using
it for economic espionage against its allies. The United States
and Britain have both denied the charges. 

The EU committee has one year to establish whether the Echelon
system really exists and whether European industry has been
damaged by global interception of communications. It will also
consider whether the privacy of individuals can be protected from
spying and how this can be done. 

Assembly members said the committee was expected to be
headed by Portuguese deputy Carlos Coehlo and would report its
findings in about eight months. 

[...]




MEPs to vote on 'spying' probe
http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3LSIZX9AC&liv
e=true&tagid=ZZZAFZAVA0C&subheading=europe
By Neil Buckley in Strasbourg and Robert Graham in Paris
Published: July 4 2000 21:23GMT

The European parliament will
vote on Wednesday on whether
to launch an investigation into
claims that an Anglo-American
spy satellite network has been
used for industrial espionage
against European companies.

A report for the European
parliament by Duncan Campbell,
a British journalist, this year
claimed the US was using Echelon
to intercept phone calls, faxes
and e-mails between European
businesses and giving the
information to US companies.

It alleged that several European
companies, including the Airbus
consortium and France's Thomson-CSF,
had lost contracts to American rivals
as a result.

The US and UK governments have
never formally confirmed Echelon's
existence, and deny the espionage
claims. George Tenet, CIA director,
told the US Congress intelligence
committee that allegations that
Washington collected intelligence
to promote US interests were
"simply wrong".

[...]



Britain and US accused in spy row
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,339897,00.html
Paul Webster in Paris and Ian Black in Brussels
Wednesday July 5, 2000

France, backed by MEPs from most states, has launched an unprecedented
investigation into the US-led Echelon intelligence operation, in which
Britain is suspected of involvement in worldwide economic espionage.
A public prosecutor has ordered the French DST counter-espionage service to
build up evidence accusing Washington and London of an attack on the
fundamental interests of the nation, it was confirmed in Paris yesterday.

In Strasbourg today, the European parliament is likely to set up a committee
to investigate Echelon, despite the opposition of most British MEPs and
strenuous lobbying by the UK government.

Jack Straw, the home secretary, was forced to discuss the issue for the
first time at an EU meeting last month. He insisted that Britain's
involvement in Echelon did not breach EU standards on the interception of
communications.

Britain is concerned because the issue has been presented as a choice to be
made between loyalty to the US and to Europe - and because intelligence and
security matters are normally strictly off-limits for the EU.

[...]


Wednesday 5th July 2000   0:15am

Pressure groups and unions hold Snooping Bill summit
http://www.silicon.com/public/door?REQUNIQ=962779750&6004REQEVENT=&REQINT1=38421&REQSTR1=newsnow

 Trade unions, human rights organisations
and pressure groups have called an emergency
meeting to discuss the implications of the
controversial Regulation of Investigatory
Powers Bill (RIP).

A wide range of academics, think-tanks,
charities, professional associations and
trades unions converged on the London
School of Economics (LSE) late yesterday,
to discuss the impact of the Bill.

Organisations attending include; Amnesty
International, the Broadcasting Union
(BECTU), Campaign against the arms trade,
Cyber Rights & Cyber Liberties, Feminists
against censorship, Index on Censorship,
the Law Society, Liberty, the Library
Association, MSF, UNISON, and the UNIX
users group.

Even though the bill is nearing completion
in Parliament, the attendees hope to be able
to influence the final outcome. Roland Perry,
regulatory officer with the London Internet
Exchange, agreed there may still be time to
shift the ground rules.

In an exclusive interview with silicon.com,
Perry said the UK government knows that
important repairs need to be done to the
Bill and the ISP community can protect
themselves from the legislation by being
more involved.

He said: "I think in the codes of practice,
we will see the day to day measures by which
notices will be served. We'll be able to see
the kinds of information that we put on the
notices and the way in which the industry
can satisfy itself that the notices are
right and proper."

Once passed, the Snooping Bill, which will
allow the UK government access to secure
data online, could cost ISPs as much as
£20m over three years.

[...]

The full interview with Roland Perry can
be viewed in the ISP channel
(www.silicon.com/a38414 )

For related news, see:

'Lords drop Snooping Bill's
burden of proof''
www.silicon.com/a38354

'Snooping Bill goes back
under the Lords' microscope'
www.silicon.com/a38324

'Anti-RIP lobby wins changes
to Snooping Bill'
www.silicon.com/a38292

'Government muses ISP tax relief
for 'Snooping Bill''
www.silicon.com/a38259

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