1. Spy Systems How do the Echelon Spy system may work.

2. How Spy Systems Work At the present time, Echelon monitors virtually all electronic signals made in the entire world. At the present time, Echelon monitors virtually all electronic signals made in the entire world. Currently, apart from mobile phones, almost all transmissions -- phone calls, faxes or email -- are sent through telephone lines to junctions/exchanges where they are redirected to the next part of their journey. Mobile phones operate in a similar fashion, except without the land-line: they transmit a signal to a receiving station which then sends the signal to an exchange for further direction. Currently, apart from mobile phones, almost all transmissions -- phone calls, faxes or email -- are sent through telephone lines to junctions/exchanges where they are redirected to the next part of their journey. Mobile phones operate in a similar fashion, except without the land-line: they transmit a signal to a receiving station which then sends the signal to an exchange for further direction.

3. How Spy Systems Work After processing to assess its end target, the signal is then redirected to either a land based line, a sea based line, or a microwave or satellite link, depending on the final destination. What Echelon does is scoop up all the information at one or more of these points, then sift through it, using a massive number of supercomputers, looking for anything of interest. After processing to assess its end target, the signal is then redirected to either a land based line, a sea based line, or a microwave or satellite link, depending on the final destination. What Echelon does is scoop up all the information at one or more of these points, then sift through it, using a massive number of supercomputers, looking for anything of interest.

4. How Spy Systems Work It gathers the signals through a variety of means. Satellites can be monitored with satellite dishes or other satellites: when the communications satellite receives or beams down it's signal, another satellite or dish can also listen in on that same signal. Land and sea lines can be tapped, too, at points along the route or at points within telephone exchanges: this, of course, would probably require a degree of formal or informal co-operation from the telephone companies, or some clever covert work. Microwave signals between cities can either be monitored through land dishes or from eavesdropping satellites, depending on the country. Underwater optical fibre cables would probably be the hardest to illicitly monitor, although the extent to which a number of telecommunications companies are formally or tacitly complicit with the Echelon system might possibly render such points academic It gathers the signals through a variety of means. Satellites can be monitored with satellite dishes or other satellites: when the communications satellite receives or beams down it's signal, another satellite or dish can also listen in on that same signal. Land and sea lines can be tapped, too, at points along the route or at points within telephone exchanges: this, of course, would probably require a degree of formal or informal co-operation from the telephone companies, or some clever covert work. Microwave signals between cities can either be monitored through land dishes or from eavesdropping satellites, depending on the country. Underwater optical fibre cables would probably be the hardest to illicitly monitor, although the extent to which a number of telecommunications companies are formally or tacitly complicit with the Echelon system might possibly render such points academic

5. How Spy Systems Work Once the information is gathered and directed to central processing areas, Echelon searches through it all for selected words. Advanced speech recognition software is apparently used to sort through telephone calls, and keyword recognition software searches through email and faxes. Once the information is gathered and directed to central processing areas, Echelon searches through it all for selected words. Advanced speech recognition software is apparently used to sort through telephone calls, and keyword recognition software searches through email and faxes. The Echelon keyword detection system probably works in a similar way to a standard internet search engine. The Echelon keyword detection system probably works in a similar way to a standard internet search engine.

6. How Spy Systems Work With a search engine, you can type in a word and the engine searches -- sometimes through hundreds or thousands of gigabytes or terabytes of stored data -- until it finds a match or matches to your query, and it then directs the matches onto a page. The Echelon system apparently works in a remarkably similar way, except it processes the searches in real time as the data is sent, or just trawls and filters all transmissions looking for word matches. Having found any match, it will then - - most likely -- save the find for human or machine inspection: it's fairly likely that a relatively small number of human operators could monitor the email transmissions of the entire English-speaking world. With a search engine, you can type in a word and the engine searches -- sometimes through hundreds or thousands of gigabytes or terabytes of stored data -- until it finds a match or matches to your query, and it then directs the matches onto a page. The Echelon system apparently works in a remarkably similar way, except it processes the searches in real time as the data is sent, or just trawls and filters all transmissions looking for word matches. Having found any match, it will then - - most likely -- save the find for human or machine inspection: it's fairly likely that a relatively small number of human operators could monitor the email transmissions of the entire English-speaking world.