MEPs warn Europeans to encrypt emails
MEPs have warned that computer users across Europe should encrypt all their emails to avoid being spied on by UK-US eavesdropping network Echelon, reports BBC News. Having studied Echelon for over a year, they have concluded that the system is reading millions of emails and faxes sent every day by ordinary every people, even though the existence of Echelon has never been officially acknowledged.
The report suggests that the UK's involvement in the system could be in breach of the European Human Rights Convention. The European Commission is now expected to study the report to decide whether to take action against Britain.
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MEPs found that the network's scope was rather less than claimed and was limited largely to communications transmitted by satellite rather than cable. The committee failed to prove that the US had used it to damage European commercial interests.