The Five Eyes Alliance

  The Five Eyes Alliance is an international connection between the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This relationship originated post-World War II between the United States and the United Kingdom to fight the Axis powers through the exchange of shared information. After the war ended, this force became so influential that it joined forces with Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. 

 

To understand the purpose of the Five Eyes alliance, it's crucial to recognize the specific tasks and responsibilities this operation upholds. The Five Eyes alliance is committed to sharing global confidential intelligence, joining forces to combine each country's strengths and areas of expertise to create a mutual defense. Through national security agencies, the operation aims to combine resources and share private information on human, signal, and cyber security.

The alliance, being a mutual defense, works together to combat terrorism by sharing information, which encourages greater strides toward tracking and neutralizing terrorist attacks. This operation aims to provide sensitive information to prevent espionage, and be able to identify foreign spies and intelligence agencies. As a team, the alliance fights to create protection and strengthen each country's security. 

 

On the surface, the initial response to the Five Eyes alliance is that countries working together and joining forces to protect their citizens and each country's security sounds like a great protection for a common ground in society. Upon deeper analysis, this alliance has definite implications and controversy to acknowledge. Although many are aware that this operation exists, there is little transparency for the public about how their intelligence is shared, the systems, and the operations. 

The Five Eyes alliance, due to its confidential approach, does not disclose much information, leaving the public to wonder about the extent of the information they are subjected to. To provide deeper awareness, there are no specific laws clearly outlining these operations. The public is also unaware of domestic legislation or government supervision over this alliance. This truly shows that there is no system for checking intelligence sharing, and no legislation governing how these systems communicate and share information, leaving legal guidance and transparency limited. 

 

These implications run deeper than just national concerns; they also involve personal privacy concerns. ECHELON, a mass surveillance system used by the alliance, promotes major concerns for society. This mass surveillance program is so powerful and large that it has the capacity to infringe on the personal privacy of the public, such as gaining access to phone calls, internet traffic, and tax transmissions. This raises a red flag because it evokes others to consider the copious amounts of information these departments possess and how this affects their personal lives, privacy rights, and civil liberties.

In September 2013, Edward Snowden leaked classified information, causing chaos throughout society, and advised others to consider the information the government collects about citizens. These documents were used in the press to warn the public that the government is keeping and gathering information that infringes on individuals' privacy and security rights. These implications not only warn society about the legitimacy of this system and this operation, but also how it affects their personal lives. 

An invasion of privacy infringes on society's civil liberties and personal rights, but the way this information is collected and distributed isn't always fair. For those with access to resources and extra protection, privacy comes at a cost, one they can afford. In lower-income areas, most Wi-Fi databases are public, and public cameras are common, limiting protection for those in lower-income areas. This makes those in lower-income areas fear the government's knowledge of them, leading to them being policed and monitored more than other communities. 

Members of higher-income communities have the tools to obtain private browsers, Wi-Fi, and alternative systems to ensure their privacy is even more secure. Lower-income areas, marginalized communities, and urban areas, where there is more policing, are subject to higher social service and warfare monitoring. When privacy rights are violated, those in lower-income areas have fewer resources to protect themselves. 

Lawyers and representation are expensive, and public defenders don't always have the resources to defend clients in certain cases, making it another disadvantage for security rights. Although privacy concerns are universal and affect society's trajectory, when it comes to finding extra protection and representation when needed, the higher-income part of society definitely has an advantage. 

The Five Eyes alliance is just one sheer example of how the government uses its resources to protect the foundation of our global intelligence, but at what expense? Learning about and analyzing the effects of private security and how these outcomes and systems translate into society is frightening and a great concern. 

The implications challenge me to reflect on how my privacy, my friends' and family's privacy, and the privacy of society's members are affected. I am inclined to think further about how I am protected and granted my basic human rights as an American Citizen. It allows me to ponder whether these resources are secure enough and have the protection to keep all people's information confidential and safe. 

If the alliance with great strengths can access this private information, who else can? It brings great peace to know the government is making strides to protect our country's security and safety. Still, when global operations lack transparency to the point of infringing on personal rights, it raises major concerns for society as a whole.