18 April 2003. Thanks to J.

Cryptome welcomes a copy of the EU "internal document" cited below or a URL for it. Send to: jya@pipeline.com

NSA to intercept TETRA police networks

Source: Europe Daily Bulletin, No. 8445 17 April 2003 http://www.agenceeurope.com/Daily/Summary_EN.html

An internal document from the European Union warns of a “major risk that could result from the omnipresence of US companies that supply radio communication equipment to the European police forces”. This document originated from the STOA (Scientific and Technological Options Assessment) answerable to the European Parliament voiced its “serious concerns” over the domination of the US industry in the European telecommunication networks and in particular those dedicated to the emergency services.

Several of the US companies have been explicitly named for their “infiltration strategy” in Europe. According to the note “Motorola played a crucial role in defining the Tetra European standard, with the collaboration from the National Security Agency, in order to guarantee for the US government the possibility that Tetra networks could be eavesdropped. Lastly the document points to Poland, which has been proposed a Motorola network for its police force in the wake of the fighter contract won by Lockheed Martin (F-16). “It is urgent that the future members of the Union carefully evaluate the risks of a too large reliance on a technology for which  they have no guarantee”.

It is worth remembering that the European STOA became prominent a few years ago with its strong position concerning the Echelon network and the distortions in the international markets it could provoke.

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