Blog Post 9

 EOTO: Five Eyes

The Five Eyes Alliance- including the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand

After World War II, five of the world's largest English-speaking countries formed the Five Eyes Alliance, created to share intelligence. The alliance began with the Atlantic Charter of 1941-an agreement between America and the UK, created during the Atlantic Conference, for post-World War II principles. These principles included agreeing "not to seek territorial expansion; to seek the liberalization of international trade; to establish freedom of the seas, and international labor, economic, and welfare standards." (Office of the Historian).  

After the Atlantic Charter came the BRUSA (Britain and USA) Agreement (later renamed the UKUSA Agreement) in 1943. Three years later, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia joined the alliance, solidifying itself as an English-speaking intelligence alliance. According to the USANAS Organization, much of the intelligence shared was during the Cold War, including "signal intelligence, satellite intelligence, human and military intelligence." 

After the USSR was dissolved, the Five Eyes Alliance shifted to "citizen surveillance and digital communications." This monitoring of the average citizen was not known to the public until the 2000s, as Five Eyes remained a mystery to the public for many years. Information about Five Eyes is still vague and limited.

 

In 2020, the Five Eyes attributed a "severe risk" to data encryption, though this encryption protects transactions and personal information shared by citizens. To get around the issue of surveilling its own citizens, countries in the Five Eyes (or its subsidiaries) will request another country in the alliance to surveil their citizens. 

 

Edward Snowden, well-known whistleblower, mentioned the Five Eyes' involvement with NSA spying. Even while researching the Five Eyes, I could find little concrete information due to its "secretive nature," with even cybersecurity website NordVPN only having vague descriptions of the types of information gathered by Five Eyes.

 

Other groups associated with the Five Eyes also exist, including the 9 and Fourteen Eyes that feature other countries. However, the 9 Eyes is more closely associated with "countering terrorism and other security threats." (NordVPN) As information about these alliances has become more public, privacy concerns have been raised, with journalists Mary James and Catherine McNelly citing VPNs (virtual private networks) as a possible solution to data stealing.

 

Image from Allaboutcookies.org

 

 

Being a form of "unofficial alliance," the main issue surrounding Five Eyes is security and "human rights violations." For nearly 80 years, The Five Eyes Alliance (or early versions of it) have targeted citizen's sensitive information, unbeknownst to most people. Protecting your data online through VPNs and being mindful of the legitimacy of the websites you use is the best way to combat this surveillance. 

I believe that my generation is especially susceptible to this surveillance, as our constant use of social media already hinders our privacy. Social media sites have access to our names and locations, with little privacy even when being cautious online. I think we can benefit from monitoring our social media use and the permissions asked by websites we utilize. The Five Eyes preys on individuals who may not be aware of how to be secure online. I use technology every day for artwork, writing, and communicating with others, so it is beneficial to know how my data is being used and how to protect it.