It's interesting to note how our mainstream media has changed over time from reporting the facts to regurgitating the party line about liberty vs security
[embedded content]This CBS 60 second segment from back in 2000 describes a mass surveillance operation called Echelon. Originally a code name, Echelon was later used to refer to a software created in the 1960s to spy on Russia during the cold war. By the end of the 20th century, Echelon had evolved beyond its military origins to also become a global system for the interception of private and commercial communications.
Fifteen years ago, CBS’s Peter Klein reported on how a global surveillance program was launched by the NSA as part of an agreement with the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada (collectively known as ‘five eyes’) to collect and share data. Five eyes, or FVEY, was of course ramped up a gear in the aftermath of 9/11, and continues to be the most comprehensive and powerful espionage alliance in history under codename PRISM. In the clip, Klein says: “The mission is to eavesdrop on the enemies of the state…but in the process, Echelon’s computers capture virtually every electronic conversation around the world.”
In the years since this report was first aired, we have seen the rise and fall of Wikileaks and the witch-hunt of Julian Assange. We have witnessed Edward Snowden‘s revelations on the extent of the NSA‘s technological capabilities and his subsequent escape from the USA. We have seen what happened to journalists like Glenn Greenwald and others at The Guardian when they dared to report Snowden‘s leaks as a matter of great public interest.
It’s 2015, and we now know how the corporate press fights to maintain the status quo by brainwashing us into believing that these spy programs exist for our own ‘security’. We now know that even our smart TVs and smart phones are spying on us. But because today’s mainstream media almost never criticizes these kinds of dystopian surveillance programs, this historic CBS report is a breath of fresh air.
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