The possibility that innocent people may become Echelon targets or that the project's spying may exceed legal boundaries bothers privacy activists, PC World reported. The activists note that when an intelligence project operates in total secrecy, the public has no way of knowing whether or not the program is operating within the law.
Echelon is a vast, international surveillance system that monitors electronic communication.
Partly because of STOA's reports, the ACLU petitioned the House Committee on Government Reform last year and asked for an investigation of Project Echelon. The ACLU wants to ensure that Echelon is operating in accordance with federal law and the U.S. Constitution. And no one is watching to see what they do with the information.