Why is it in the News?

Recently, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that “Indian spies” had been “kicked out of Australia” after being caught trying to steal secrets about sensitive defence projects and airport security, as well as classified information on Australia’s trade relationships”.

What is the Five Eyes?

• The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, formed in 1946.
• The alliance is based on a series of bilateral agreements on surveillance and intelligence-sharing.
  • These arrangements are commonly known as the United Kingdom-United States Communication Intelligence Act (UKUSA) agreement.
• The UKUSA agreement is a secret pact that, since 1946, has allowed the two countries to share intelligence with each other.
  • The UKUSA agreement was so secret that its existence wasn't even acknowledged until 2005.
• Each of the Five Eyes states pursues interception, collection, and decryption activities and shares all intelligence information obtained with the others by default.
• These countries share information with each other through the ultra-sensitive STONEGHOST network, which has been claimed to contain "some of the Western world's most closely guarded secrets".
• The Five Eyes states share integrated programmes, staff, and bases.

Origins of the Five Eyes

• During World War II, informal secret meetings between British and American code-breakers laid the groundwork for establishing the FE alliance.
• After the Cold War, the information-sharing arrangement became formalised under the ECHELON surveillance system in the 1960s.

How does the Five Eyes Alliance operate?

• The alliance facilitates the sharing of signals intelligence among the five countries.
• The countries agree to exchange by default all signals intelligence they gather.
• The bedrock of the Five Eyes Alliance is based on the joint abilities of the United Kingdom's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the USA's National Security Agency (NSA) to intercept intelligence.
  • These agencies collect and decrypt signal intelligence, called SigInt, which involves internet, telephone, radio and satellite data from across the world.
• The UKUSA Agreement, which was made public in 2010, states:
  • "It will be contrary to this agreement to reveal its existence to any third party whatsoever" and "each party will seek the agreement of the other to any action with third parties and will take no action until its advisability is agreed upon."