ECHELON

ECHELON is a multi-national, inter-agency signal interception and analysis network, presumed to be operating under the UK-USA Security Agreement (including the states of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, or AUSCANZUKUS, also known as the Five Eyes, or FVEY), and headquartered at Sugar Grove, West Virginia in the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ). The network has been reportedly engaged in efforts to capture all known forms of electronic communication globally via military installations around the world; and, specifically, it is believed to be broadly capable of intercept and content inspection of telephone calls, fax, electronic mail, and other data traffic globally through the interception of communication bearers, including satellite transmission, public switched telephone networks (which carries most Internet traffic), and microwave links.

Member Agencies

• Government Communications Headquarters (United Kingdom);
• National Security Agency (United States);
• Communications Security Establishment (Canada);
• Australian Signals Directorate (Australia);
• Government Communications Security Bureau (New Zealand)