Five Eyes Watching Over Us

Five Eyes: Yes, it Sounds Creepy and it is Creepy.

The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance that is comprised of 5 English-speaking countries: the United States (founder), the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., the entity is aligned with the NSA. The alliance shares sensitive information amongst its networks about its citizens' online activities and internet usage. You might say, "that's strange. I thought that the U.S. is committed to the protection of my privacy." Unfortunately, the U.S. leverages its international intelligence-sharing agreements to bypass their own privacy laws. That issue raises the question of espionage and the controversy of how the United States and Five Eyes is using this intelligence.

Origins

During the Cold War Era, the Five Eyes Alliance was more like the two eyes alliance. The United States had founded the alliance with the United Kingdom August 14, 1941 to decrypt Soviet Russia's communications and intelligence for military purposes. By the late 50s, Canada, New Zealand and Australia had joined. This alliance remained a dark secret until 2003 when it was revealed to the public. During the time of its invisibility, the entity had morphed into a network of countries sharing information about their own citizens' online activities to other countries. In 2013, America became aware of the threat the alliance imposed against its citizens' online privacy. An event that set off the nation's radar on public privacy invasion was when Edward Snowden leaked numerous NSA government documents that proved the government was watching citizens' activity on the internet. The case also revealed the unanticipated breadth of international intelligence-sharing networks.

Implications

There are benefits and downfalls of the Five Eyes. Essentially, they do gather information that could prevent international threats from becoming a present danger for American citizens, such as terrorism or war schemes. Also, they supply the NSA with valuable intel that could give our country an advantage--in this case, knowledge is power. On the other hand, every American citizen's privacy can not be guaranteed as protected by the state law, federal law or the FTC as the Five Eyes are constantly monitoring and sharing our online activity. Anyone could be spied on and their private information could be abroad in the hands of one of the other 'eyes.' Not a great feeling, right?

Where in the World is my Online Information? Who is Affected?

I honestly couldn't tell you, it could be in the hands of any of the 'eyes.' But it is more likely that anyone that works in the corporate or government arena or activists will be tracked by the Five Eyes as they have access to or deal with large amounts of information on the public. Also, minorities, such as individuals of Middle Eastern ethnicities, could be on watch regarding the war on terror. On a larger scale, information can be tapped or hacked from different companies through secret orders, encryption standards have lowered and political agendas can be manipulated. As for me and my peers, we are more concerned with the issue of online privacy and how information on our activity could be sent to other countries. The fact that the government is in partnership with the Five Eyes makes me discredit and distrust them--my online activity is not 100% protected even though our nation communicates that they value individual privacy. I assume it is my duty to scrutinize the government for participating with such a controversial group.

How to Get 'The Eyes' Off You

Luckily, VPNs, also known as virtual private networks, are legal in our country. Other nations have differing regulations on VPNs and may limit their usage by the public. Some popular VPNs include Ace VPN, Anonymizer VPN, Encrypt Me, Hide All IP, Hide My IP, HotSpot Shield, HoxxVPN. These private networks serve as a protected way to navigate the internet with anonymity through encrypted connection. Some VPNs have no-log policies that ensure your information is not being documented to be passed into another's hands. These networks are a valuable tool for living a more private life online.

Sources:

1. https://www.top10bestvpn.com/?utm_source=google&kw=what%20is%20a%20vpn&c=475387980690&t=search&p=&m=e&adpos=&dev=c&devmod=&mobval=0&network=g&campaignid=196833131&adgroupid=37333038442&targetid=kwd-129316379&interest=&physical=9009598&feedid=&a=1027&ts=&topic=&fbrem=&test=VPN_US&gclid=CjwKCAiAnIT9BRAmEiwANaoE1Y3wQ0K3F1cGpmvYepctdhIKqWLwzDeTtTUhPievvl2hVqBdKa4a4xoC5VYQAvD_BwE

2. https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/understanding-five-eyes-concept/

3. https://www.giswatch.org/en/communications-surveillance/unmasking-five-eyes-global-surveillance-practices

4. https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/do-we-benefit-five-eyes

5. https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/editorials/10511755/Advantages-to-Five-Eyes-network

6. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/is-the-five-eyes-alliance-conspiring-to-spy-on-you/277190/

   
   

Picture Sources:

1. https://www.beltandroad.news/2020/07/01/why-five-eyes-should-now-become-six/

2. https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/8-ways-the-nsa-spies-on-you/

3. https://securitytoday.com/articles/2018/09/26/free-vpns-are-a-privacy-nightmare-heres-why.aspx