Big Brother is watching more closely now.
A secretive multi-billion dollar industry is offering cutting-edge systems that enable governments to identify, track and monitor people through their phones and computers, a cache of hundreds of surveillance brochures and other marketing materials reveals.
A German company offers the ability to track ‘political opponents’; an Italian company claims it can remotely seize control of smartphones and use them to listen into conversations and photograph the owners; a US company allows users to ‘see what they [the target] see’; and a South African company offers tools for recording billions of phone calls and storing them forever.
These brochures and other marketing material, known as the ‘Spy Files’, are released today by WikiLeaks and London-based human rights group Privacy International. They shine a light on this shadowy industry, which is worth $5bn (£3.2bn) and is growing fast. These brochures are not readily available: instead, they are handed out to key contacts – often government agencies and police forces – at trade shows that are closed to the public and the press.
A Hollywood script?
A Bureau analysis of the ‘Spy Files’ reveals, for the first time, the breadth of the surveillance industry and its incredible capabilities. The documents have been collected from over 130 companies based in 25 countries from Brazil to Switzerland, and reveal an array of technologies so sophisticated, it often seems to have come out of a Hollywood film.
But the ‘Spy Files’ and their contents are real. They add weight to the campaigners who claim these proliferating technology companies constitute a new, unregulated arms industry.
Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, said: ‘These documents reveal an industry selling tools not just for targeted lawful interception… but for mass surveillance. These tools allow governments to harvest the emails, chat and text messages of entire populations, store them, search them and analyse them. Just as Google lets you search the web, these tools let a secret policeman track everyone who said a rude thing about a dictator. So it’s not surprising they’ve turned up in places like Egypt, Syria and Iran.’
The industry claims it only sells ‘lawful interception’ gear to official authorities: the police, the military and intelligence agencies.
But the sales brochures boast of vast powers of covert observation, with off-the-shelf gear that activists worry could easily be abused by repressive security forces and corrupt officials.
Crossbench peer Lord Alton, who has raised many issues relating to this industry, said: ‘Technology of this kind can be every bit as lethal as the bullets that might be directly sold by a munitions company or armaments quartermaster.’
The tools revealed in these brochures demonstrate the previously unfathomable power of mass surveillance. It makes phone-hacking look like a schoolboy’s game.
Eric King of Privacy International
What’s on offer?
‘Why sample, when you can monitor all network traffic inexpensively?’ trumpets a brochure from Endace, a company based in New Zealand.
‘Total monitoring of all operators to plug any intelligence leakage is critical for government agencies,’ says Indian company ClearTrail.
China Top Communications, based in Beijing, claims to be able to crack passwords of more than 30 email service providers, including Gmail, ‘in real time by a PASSIVE WAY [sic]‘. In the deliberately obscure language of the surveillance industry, ‘passive’ interception is that which takes place without the target knowing they are being watched.
Some of this technology is being abused by repressive governments to help crack down on dissent.
In October, the Bureau revealed that web filtering equipment from Blue Coat Systems, based in California, is used to censor internet traffic in Syria, despite a US export ban to that country. The company later explained the equipment had been diverted from an importer based in the United Arab Emirates.
Related article: US technology used to censor the internet in Syria claim experts
In this investigation, the Bureau reveals that software from a UK-based company is being used in Syria, and how technology was used in Libya to monitor people in London, some of whom have only remote connections to dissidents.
An investigation by Bloomberg recently uncovered a surveillance system being installed for the Syrian government by an Italian company, Area. The news emerged as the country was convulsed by mass protests that have left 3,500 dead at the hands of state security forces. Area’s lawyers announced last Monday that the company had cancelled the project.
The speed at which this technology is advancing and the way it is being used raise serious concerns.
‘The tools revealed in these brochures demonstrate the previously unfathomable power of mass surveillance. It makes phone-hacking look like a schoolboy’s game,’ says Eric King of Privacy International. ‘Some of the most tyrannical regimes in the world are buying the power to monitor the behaviour and communications of every single citizen – and the technology is so effective that they are able to accomplish this with minimal manpower.’
What the spies say
The export of bombs, guns and conventional weaponry is tightly controlled. But for surveillance technologies – which in the wrong hands can be similarly deadly – there are very limited checks and controls in place.
The Bureau has discovered that the UK’s spying centre, GCHQ, assessed mobile phone tracking technology sold to Iran by Surrey-based Creativity Software and cleared the deal.
These documents reveal an industry selling tools not just for targeted lawful interception… but for mass surveillance. These tools allow governments to harvest the emails, chat and text messages of entire populations, store them, search them and analyse them.
Ross Anderson, Cambridge University
MEP Marietje Schaake is calling for EU legislation to prevent such technologies from being sold to repressive regimes. Meanwhile, in the House of Lords, crossbench peer Lord David Alton is calling for greater checks on the companies selling surveillance technology. Earlier this week, in answer to a question from Lord Alton, Baroness Wilcox, parliamentary under-secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills, said: ‘The Government will consider carefully the case for new legislation in this area.’
As yet there are no clear moves to introduce anything concrete.
Perhaps part of the problem is that the technology on offer is complex and fast moving. Next week the Intelligence Support Systems Asia-Pacific conference in Kuala Lumpur will unveil yet further advances and even greater spying techniques.
The Bureau’s investigation concludes: can governments really afford to continue to ignore this burgeoning industry
For press enquiries please email info@thebureauinvestigates.com or call +44 7969 466285.
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December 1st, 2011 at 2:15 pm (#)
Fear and anti-leaking technology and propaganda leaks massively.
Its not spying technology its leaking technology.
And the damn is about to break.
December 1st, 2011 at 6:44 pm (#)
Kick their asses!!! I WOULD! Man or woman!
December 2nd, 2011 at 7:25 am (#)
So much for the internet.
Its back to back rooms in pizza restaurants if you want to get something done……
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:00 pm (#)
These sorts of stories always shine a light on the absurdity of the argument. Firstly you’ll notice the language used. For example:
“So it’s not surprising they’ve turned up in places like Egypt, Syria and Iran.”
Really? They had to be created first of all in so-called “free” or “democratic” nations. That’s really something of a sick inside joke.
“only sells ‘lawful interception’ gear…”
Pot calling kettle black circle logic. The usual fox guarding the hen house excuses.
“that activists worry could easily be abused by repressive security forces and corrupt officials.”
Worry? Are you so daft as to not see and know that they’re ALREADY being used within the mythically “free” nations? When they’re used elsewhere it’s only to work out the bugs before reimplementing them on the home front.
“Some of this technology is being abused by repressive governments to help crack down on dissent.”
Where is the surprise in this? It’s being used at home. Is that not “repressive” enough for you?
“diverted from an importer”
For the love of all that’s holy! Just how difficult would it be to simply purchase something, even what our overlords would consider in a legal manner, and then pack it up in a box and drive across the border someplace? These are just distractions. Excuses to further intrude into everybody’s life so then they can tell you that you’re “safe”. I’m sure a slave kept chained in his cell is safe too, but I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be one.
And the winner for the most obviously bone-headed statement.
“can governments really afford to continue to ignore this burgeoning industry?”
What exactly are you saying here? The same cast of criminals responsible for the bombing and destruction of life and property across the globe, the gutting of their own citizens life, property, and liberty are then called upon to “solve” the problems that they themselves created? Is this not the definition of insanity? This is when I throw up my hands at just how stupid most people are for calling on their government to restrain itself and its profiting cronies. Not going to happen! And history is on my side.