Without those legal guidelines and an explanation of what they allow and forbid, there is no way of knowing if the NSA is using Echelon to spy on Americans in violation of federal law. In April 2000, the House Intelligence Committee held a hearing to deal with credible reports that suggest Echelon is capturing satellite, microwave, cellular and fiber-optic communications worldwide. Unfortunately, CIA Director George Tenet and NSA Director Michael Hayden disputed all charges. Credible reports suggest that the United States government is a part of a massive electronic global surveillance system known as Echelon. This system is reported to capture satellite, microwave, cellular and fiber-optic communications worldwide.
Echelon raises serious privacy concerns in the United States and in Europe.
While much is still unknown about system, Echelon apparently allows security agencies to use sophisticated filtering technology to sort through conversations, faxes and emails searching for keywords or other flags. Some reports have charged that Echelon has been used in the United Kingdom to spy on charities such as Amnesty International and Christian Aid. Echelon apparently operates without the oversight of either Congress or the courts. Congress must conduct hearings to ensure that Echelon wiretapping does not circumvent any requirement in federal law that the government obtain a warrant from a court before it eavesdrops on a conversation to, from or within the United States. Congress should also insist that the government publicly release the original documents related to the legal standards under which Echelon operates.