Out-Law / Your Daily Need-To-Know

On Thursday the European Parliament voted to carry out an investigation into the international surveillance project Echelon. This follows a decision taken earlier this month by the French government to begin an official investigation into allegations that the UK and US may be using the program for illegal purposes.

There appears to be growing concern in Europe that Echelon is being used to fuel industrial espionage practices. This reaction has been prompted by a report by Duncan Campbell, an investigative journalist, who revealed evidence that US firms have been using Echelon to secure lucrative business contracts.

This accusation was further supported by the publication of US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) documents in the British press showing that the US has been using the technology to monitor European business communications.

It has been suggested that this has been done with the approval of President Clinton’s administration under the auspices of its ‘aggressive advocacy’ initiative.

The investigations into the matter may put the UK in a rather uncomfortable position as it has obligations and close ties to both the US and the EU.

It is believed that, in addition to the European Parliament’s investigation, the European Court of Justice may focus its attention on whether the use of Echelon in Europe is a breach of the European Convention of Human Rights.

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