So did previous presidents use Echelon on Americans?

[populistdriven]

And if so did they seek approval from a court and was it used for a limited time for a specific purpose?

[kurth]

1. FYI -

ECHELON is actually a computer component to a global spy system controlled by the National Security Agency (NSA) and shared with the GCHQ of England, the CSE of Canada, the Australian DSD, and the GCSB of New Zealand. These organizations are bound together under a secret 1948 agreement, UKUSA, whose terms and text remain under wraps even today...

You may wonder how it is that the NSA can conduct spying within US borders in violation of its charter barring domestic surveillance. This is where UKUSA works to their advantage. The two primary listening stations at Sugar Grove, West Virginia and Yakima, Washington are manned by "on loan" intelligence officials from the one of the cooperating agencies. If they uncover information regarding a US citizen, they walk across the hall and give the information to the NSA liaison officer, effectively circumventing the domestic surveillance prohibition.

http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/Big_Brother/echelon_spy_in_the_sky.htm

[Poppyseedman]

2. This makes bush NSA program look like child's play.

http://home.hiwaay.net/~pspoole/echelon.html

Just when are you guys going to figure out this has been going on for years and by all administrations.

This "scandal" is bordering on the ridiculous. The Senate hearing are a dog and pony show for general consumption of the witless and stooges.

In the greatest surveillance effort ever established, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has created a global spy system, codename ECHELON, which captures and analyzes virtually every phone call, fax, email and telex message sent anywhere in the world. ECHELON is controlled by the NSA and is operated in conjunction with the Government Communications Head Quarters (GCHQ) of England, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) of Canada, the Australian Defense Security Directorate (DSD), and the General Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) of New Zealand. These organizations are bound together under a secret 1948 agreement, UKUSA, whose terms and text remain under wraps even today.

[Poppyseedman]

3. Looking at you right now

3 to 10-foot resolution spy photographs 200 to 400 miles up {Two of them}

[JohnnyRingo]

4. But unlike domestic surveillance, the information can't be used in court

I believe the Echelon Center in based in England, so it's truly international in scope.

If they find something interesting they have to abide by the 4th amendment and obtain warrants in this country or whatever satisfies the laws of the country in which arrest and prosecution is expected.

At least that's how I understand it, but maybe now we're no different than those"other countries".

[Poppyseedman]

5. They got their bases covered

[populistdriven]

6. interesting how that image shows the best overlapping coverage is in US

why would that be if it wasn't to spy on Americans? :)

[Sgent]

7. ECHELON

allows British intelligence agents to spy on American's, and vise versa.

That being said, that evidence cannot be used in court (although it might be used to seek a warrent).