Perspective: US Wiretapping Activities

Published in Mainichi Shimbun
(Japan) on 28 October 2013
by Hiroshi Fuse (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Stephanie Sanders. Edited by Chris J. deGrazia.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was justifiably angered by the “breach of trust.” U.S. President Barack Obama, who received an angry phone call from the chancellor, replied by indicating that (according to a White House press release), “The United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel.” It’s an awkward explanation, with the ring of “Yes, we were doing it before.”

In the wake of a series of wiretapping allegations against the U.S., suspicions have surfaced that U.S. intelligence was monitoring Chancellor Merkel’s cellphone. The possibility was even raised at the European Council meetings on Oct. 24 and 25. In the end, however, the EU did not take a harsh attitude toward its ally the U.S.

However, if we accept on faith Obama’s word that it will not happen anymore and neglect to impose countermeasures, there is a chance that we could come up against wiretapping by Russia or China, for example. Although intelligence gathering via the Internet is progressing, criminal methods for infiltrating other countries’ computers and cyberattacks that disrupt security information are becoming more sophisticated.

This is not the first time there has been a conflict between the U.S. and the EU over intelligence gathering. In 2001, the European Parliament compiled a report on the U.S.-led international organization ECHELON, which monitored phones and fax machines, violating human rights and privacy. The veiled feud over intelligence gathering will continue to heat up on a global scale.

That is a reality. As Chancellor Merkel puts it, it’s important to agree in good faith not to spy on friends (allied countries), but an arrangement for inspecting a breach of the rules is necessary, so as not to invite suspicion. As with military reduction and arms control, there is an increased need for verification with intelligence gathering. At the same time, if we don’t neutralize wiretapping and cyberattacks from non-ally nations in particular, this will become an era in which we cannot protect the interests of citizens.

Intelligence-gathering activities exposed by [Edward] Snowden, a former employee of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency who is wanted by the U.S., are only the tip of the iceberg. There are also reports that the U.S. has eavesdropped on the phone calls of 35 world leaders, and there are signs that there will be further repercussions. Like [Julian] Assange of WikiLeaks, who leaks classified documents, Snowden – ethics of his actions aside – likely meant to challenge America’s wall of secrecy.

In recent years, cases in which the Obama administration, saddled with traitors and a low diplomatic score, has applied the Espionage Act domestically have been surprisingly conspicuous. It is undeniable that such an approach extinguishes the administration’s luster, and even pro-American countries have begun distancing themselves. If the influence of the increasingly distrusted U.S. is further diminished in Europe, the “breakdown in class discipline” could continue. I hope President Obama will rouse himself to action, in order to prove such concerns to be groundless.


社説:視点 米国の盗聴活動=論説委員・布施広

毎日新聞 2013年10月28日 02時30分(最終更新 10月28日 02時30分)

 ドイツのメルケル首相が「信頼を裏切る行為」と怒ったのは当然だ。首相から抗議の電話を受けたオバマ米大統領はこう答えたという。「(あなたの)通話は傍受していないし、今後も傍受しません」。ええ以前はやってましたよという響きがある、苦しい弁明である。

 米国による一連の盗聴疑惑に続いて米情報機関がメルケル首相の携帯電話を盗聴していた疑いが浮上した。24、25の両日開かれた欧州連合(EU)首脳会議でも問題になったが、EUは結局、盟友の米国に厳しい態度は打ち出さなかった。

 だが、「もうしない」という米大統領の言葉をうのみにして対策を怠れば、今度は別の国、たとえばロシアや中国による盗聴に直面しかねない。インターネットによる情報集約化が進む一方、他国のコンピューターに侵入して安全保障を含めた情報を混乱させるサイバー攻撃の手口も高度化しているからだ。

 それに情報収集をめぐる米欧の対立は初めてではない。2001年、欧州議会は米国主導の国際組織「エシュロン」が電話やファクスなどを傍受し、人権やプライバシーを侵害したとの報告書をまとめている。情報収集をめぐる暗闘は今後も世界規模で激しくなる一方だろう。

 それが現実である。メルケル首相が言うように、友人(同盟国)同士でスパイ行為はしないという善意の了解も大切だが、疑心暗鬼を招かぬよう約束違反を検証する仕組みも必要ではないか。軍縮・軍備管理と同様に、情報収集でも「検証」の必要性が増した。と同時に、特に同盟国以外からの盗聴やサイバー攻撃を無力化しないと、国民の利益を守れない時代である。

 米中央情報局(CIA)の元職員で米国のお尋ね者になっているスノーデン容疑者が暴露した情報収集活動は、まさに氷山の一角だ。米国が世界の指導者35人の通話を盗聴していたとの報道もあり、波紋はなお広がる気配だ。同容疑者は、機密資料を流すウィキリークスのアサンジ容疑者同様、(行為のよしあしはともかく)米国の機密の壁に挑戦しているつもりだろう。

 「獅子身中の虫」を抱え込んだオバマ政権は近年、外交的な得点が少なく、国内では意外にも「スパイ防止法」の適用事例が目立つ。こうした姿勢が政権の精彩を失わせていることは否めず、親米諸国にも離反の動きが出ている。頼みの欧州で不信感が高まり米国の影響力がさらに低下すれば、世界の「学級崩壊」が進みかねまい。そんな懸念を杞憂(きゆう)とすべく、オバマ大統領の奮起に期待したい。
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