According to whistleblower Edward Snowden, the United States Embassy in Athens has been used as a base for telephone surveillance and the monitoring of communication networks. The shocking news, which was published by the German news magazine Der Spiegel, included a classified map of electronic surveillance facilities listing some 90 such facilities worldwide, including communications intelligence facilities at the Athens embassy.
More precisely, the map of these facilities (according to the document, which is dated 13 August 2010), and which was initially published in full on Der Spiegel's website, but subsequently replaced with a censored version, lists Special Collection Service facilities at some 90 locations all over the globe, including 74 manned facilities, 14 remotely operated facilities as well as two technical support centres. The same report points out that the Athens facility is just one of 19 such facilities in Europe. (US special collection facilities are apparently located in the embassies in Berlin, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Prague, Geneva and Vienna, as well as Moscow and Kiev).
The Greek newspaper Ta Nea also published the news adding that the Embassy had specialised equipment for remote surveillance which was (and/or still is) typically installed and concealed (by panels and/or other such material) on its upper floors and/or its roof. The Greek report added that the structure is visible from Petrou Kokkali street, near the junction with Vas Sofias avenue. (Check photo below)
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| photo from Ta Nea |
(In case you are not up to date with Edward Snowden: He is an exiled American computer specialist and former CIA employee and NSA contractor who disclosed classified details of several top-secret United States and British government mass surveillance programs to the press. He is presently living in Russia under temporary political asylum and is considered a US fugitive who is charged with espionage and theft of state property).
The allegations came as German intelligence officials were getting ready to travel to Washington to investigate the allegations that the US had been tapping into the telephone calls by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Specifically her mobile phone).
The various locations of these special collection facilities, correspond to the National Security Agency's X-Keyscore program that was also disclosed by Snowden. According to Der Spiegel, X-Keyscore is a computer system used by the NSA and its "5-eyes" partners for searching and analysing Internet data across the world. The UK's Guardian newspaper claims that X-Keyscore allows the NSA to monitor "nearly everything a typical user does on the Internet" including emails, browsing, Internet searches and even the social media.
For its report, and spurred by the revelation that the US was tapping Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, Der Spiegel consulted with British freelance investigative journalist Duncan Campbell. The latter's website states "top secret listening installations, protected from scrutiny by diplomatic immunity, are used to conduct massive electronic listening, usually from the top floors of US embassies. One is in Berlin. Others are located in European capitals from Stockholm to Athens". His website also provides photographs of a number of these alleged listening posts.
http://www.duncancampbell.org/content/embassy-spy-centre-network
All feature rooftop sheds packed with surveillance antenna and equipment.
"The SCS teams work mostly undercover in shielded areas of American embassies and consulates where, officially, they are accredited as diplomats and enjoy the related privileges," Der Spiegel writes. "From the protection of the embassy they can eavesdrop and look. They just are not allowed to be caught." The listening equipment is so precise, according to files seen by the magazine, that it allows the source of signals to be localised.After the news hit the new stands, former Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, who served from 1996-1999, told the Vima 99.5 radio station on Tuesday morning that the Greek Greek Intelligence Service (EYP) systematically tapped into telephone calls at the US embassies in Greece and Turkey.
'We also snooped in on the American embassy. It was very entertaining to listen to the American ambassador in Athens speak with his colleague in Ankara (Turkey) and with the US State Deaprtment." Pangalos did note however, that the surveillance did not yield any valuable intelligence, because Greece "knew everything," already.
Meanwhile, a separate report on defencenet, quoting reports from Moscow, claim that Snowden has informed Russian secret services that the telephone lines of former Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis are still being still monitored. Other NSA targets include high-ranking army officials, the head and leadership of the Hellenic Police Force, the head of the anti-terrorism unit, three directors at the Ministry of Public Order as well as two at the Department of Defence, the leaders of ALL of Greece's political parties, at least eight leading businessmen, two of which are involved in defense products, dozens of judicial officials who handle sensitive cases (military or economic espionage) that are of interest to the U.S., many journalists, Defence Attaché, at least six foreign embassies (Russian, Serbian, German, French, Ukrainian, Cyprus), etc.
The report on defencenet says that for the tapping of mobile phones and land lines for specific targets (such as the prime minister for instance) a special system is used that records the calls after a voice detector identifies the target. In other words, it doesn't matter what phone is used (or where), the equipment that is being used to monitor these calls detects the voice and activates automatically.
The report also reveals that smart phones were being monitored even when they appeared to be inactive.
It is estimated that every month about 20 million telephone conversations are intercepted, a number that may not compare to that of the NSA operation in Spain where it is reported that some 60.5 million calls were monitored every month. (But then again Greece does not have the same population as Spain.)
A different process is practiced on monitoring the communications of high-ranking government officials (such as the Prime Minister, MPs, Defence officials, etc.). This is done with the intervention of analysts at a very early stage.
Defencenet also points out that the US has also simultaneously infiltrated thousands of computers, and are very informed about its users! By doing this, they have not only spied into personal data such as emails, etc, they also know which sites these users visit and what their electronic habits are.
Sources
Ta Nea Newspaper
Kathimerini Newspaper
Defencenet
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