Congressional investigators determined that "targeting of US political figures would not occur by accident, but was designed into the system from the start.
The program's capabilities and political implications were investigated by a committee of the European Parliament during and with a report published in All meetings were cancelled by the US government and the committee was forced to end its trip prematurely. In July , the Committee released its final report. The European Parliament stated in its report that the term ECHELON is used in a number of contexts, but that the evidence presented indicates that it was the name for a signals intelligence collection system.
Lockheed called it P An image available on the internet of a fragment apparently torn from a job description shows Echelon listed along with several other code names. A global network of electronic spy stations that can eavesdrop on telephones, faxes and computers. It can even track bank accounts. This information is stored in Echelon computers, which can keep millions of records on individuals. Officially, however, Echelon doesn't exist. First revealed by the European Parliament report p.
The ability to intercept communications depends on the medium used, be it radio , satellite , microwave , cellular or fiber-optic. In , the first Intelsat satellite was launched into orbit.
The station intercepted satellite communications over the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Testimony before the European Parliament indicated that separate but similar UKUSA systems are in place to monitor communication through undersea cables, microwave transmissions, and other lines. American author James Bamford provides an alternative view, highlighting that legislation prohibits the use of intercepted communications for commercial purposes, although he does not elaborate on how intercepted communications are used as part of an all-source intelligence process.
