Echelon, Diana, Wassenaar

The Wash Post today has picked up the hot European
story of NSA's file on Princess Diana and linked it to
the NSA's Echelon program.

   http://jya.com/nsa-diana.htm

This is the first US major media story on Echelon, and its
connection to privacy invasion of a global celebrity icon 
may do more to get public attention for the vile program
than any previous investigation and report.

NSA claims Diana was not a "target" and that the 1,000 pages
of data on her were gathered "incidental" to other activities. 
But, as with all the TLA snooping, it is this incidental 
surveillance of the innocent that all the calls for loosening of
encrypton controls  is about.

After all the near-futile efforts of investigators to bring 
Echelon out into the open, and counterefforts of pols
and spooks cloak it, the Diana hook may the "Gone
With The Wind" popularizer that finally energizes
a genuine borad-based opposition, and, may very well 
be the kickoff to global demand for encryption to protect 
privacy worldwide and maybe even in the US.

What wonderful cloubreak to let sunshine into the dark
halls of Wassenaar and FT Meade spookdoms.

John Young wrote:

> The Wash Post today has picked up the hot European
> story of NSA's file on Princess Diana and linked it to
> the NSA's Echelon program.
>
> This is the first US major media story on Echelon, and its
> connection to privacy invasion of a global celebrity icon
> may do more to get public attention for the vile program
> than any previous investigation and report.

The public's appetite for Echelon will be wetted when they pick up
People magazine and turn to the section where celebrity exploits and
indiscretions are transcripted and given a government stamp of
authenticity, "NSA transcripts licensed for commercial release".

Echelon is a goldmine, and more than a few people are tasked with
exploring it's commercial viability. Clinton-Lewinski phone sex, Israeli
intelligence using their NY publicist links to blackmail US
politicians/Clinton. White House national security staff bursting
Israel's hold on the President through a supremely well engineered
public release of Clinton's indiscretions via the Paula Jones case.
Middle East peace brokered by statesmen promising to keep mum on each
other's transgressions. And, to add a touch of reality, impeachment
hearings to punish the President for lying about spitting gum on the
sidewalk... Books, movies and future governments are waiting for deals
to be signed. $$$

Echelon's a goldmine gentlemen, and Diana and Wassenaar are the first
hints of its commercial release. Voyeuristic history will be Echelon's
legacy, the NSA will soon become the largest contributor to the National
Archive and the booming entertainment economy.