Rupert Murdoch’s News of The World may have been infamous for its phone-tapping, but the global eavesdropping scheme being run by the United States and Great Britain today is on a far greater scale. Prime Minister David Cameron may deny knowledge of the News of The World’s activities, but he is unable to deny his country’s involvement in ECHELON, a network of automated interception stations that is monitoring communications across the world. According to Washington journalist Bill Blum, the National Security Agency is using satellites and powerful computers to capture and process home phone, office phone, cellular phone, email, fax, telex, satellite transmissions, fiber-optic communications traffic, and microwave links. This is all detailed in Blum’s book, “Rogue State” (Common Courage Press).
Ed Miliband, leader of the Labour opposition, has accused Prime Minister Cameron of allowing a lack of accountability among those in high places to lead to recent scandals in British life. Miliband has argued that there is a “yearning for a more decent, responsible, and principled country” across Britain.
Meanwhile, whistleblower William Blum has condemned the NSA and its junior partners in Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand for operating ECHELON, a network of massive, highly automated interception stations covering the globe. Blum claims that this system, which was launched in the 1970s to spy on Soviet satellite communications, is an illegal invasion of privacy and is costing American taxpayers billions of dollars. He further alleges that the NSA is monitoring the conversations of world leaders, including the Pope, the Secretary-General of the UN, and the members of the UN Security Council.
