This is a list of notable people who are known to have been placed under surveillance by the Five Eyes (FVEY) - a term used by intelligence agencies to refer to the following five countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. [1] [2]
FVEY countries are bound by the UKUSA Agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence. Although the UKUSA alliance is often associated with the global surveillance system ECHELON, processed intelligence is reliant on multiple sources of information and the intelligence shared is not just restricted to signals intelligence, but also involves the mutual exchange of defence intelligence, security intelligence, and human intelligence. [3]
In recent years, several security agencies of the FVEY countries have been accused of intentionally spying on one another's citizens and willingly sharing the collected information with each other, allegedly circumventing laws preventing each agency from spying on its own citizens. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Abbr | Agency | Role | Country |
---|---|---|---|
ASD | Australian Signals Directorate | Signals intelligence | Australia |
CIA | Central Intelligence Agency | Human intelligence | United States |
CSEC | Communications Security Establishment Canada | Signals intelligence | Canada |
FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation | Security intelligence | United States |
GCHQ | Government Communications Headquarters | Signals intelligence | United Kingdom |
GCSB | Government Communications Security Bureau | Signals intelligence | New Zealand |
MI5 | The Security Service | Security intelligence | United Kingdom |
MI6 | Secret Intelligence Service | Human intelligence | United Kingdom |
NSA | National Security Agency | Signals intelligence | United States |
The history of domestic spying by an FVEY agency dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, with several notable FBI targets such as the physicist Albert Einstein, the First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the English comedian Charlie Chaplin, who was targeted British security agents acting on behalf of the FBI. [8]
Picture | Name | Lifetime | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Albert Einstein | 1879–1955 | A German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity and the E = mc2 formula, Albert Einstein was in favor of socialism and critical of capitalism, which he detailed in his essays such as " Why Socialism?". Due to his alleged ties to communism, the FBI placed Einstein under surveillance as part of a campaign to banish him from the United States. [9] [10] | |
Helen Keller | 1880–1968 | An American author, political activist, and lecturer, Helen Keller was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, and was outspoken in her convictions. Due to her radical views, the FBI kept Keller under surveillance for most of her adult life. [11] [12] [13] | |
Eleanor Roosevelt | 1884–1962 | The longest-serving First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt was ranked in the top ten of Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century. She spoke out against anti-Japanese prejudice during World War II, lobbied to make lynching a federal crime and supported the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Due to her alleged ties to communism and dangerous political views, she was placed under FBI surveillance. The FBI kept a 3000-page dossier on Roosevelt, which contains charges against her for suspected communist activities and disloyalty to the country. [14] [15] [16] | |
Charlie Chaplin | 1889–1977 | An English comedian, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the silent era, Charlie Chaplin became one of the most important figures in the film industry through his screen persona " the Tramp". Due to his alleged ties to communism, he was placed under surveillance by MI5 agents acting on behalf of the FBI as part of a campaign to banish him from the United States. [8] [17] [18] | |
Ernest Hemingway | 1899–1961 | An American author, journalist and recipient of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, many of Ernest Hemingway's works are considered to be classics of American literature. Due to his alleged ties to communist Cuba, Hemingway was placed under FBI surveillance for the rest of his life and eventually committed suicide in 1961. [19] [20] [21] | |
Charles Lindbergh | 1902–1974 | An American aviator, inventor, and activist, Charles Lindbergh emerged from virtual obscurity to instantaneous world fame after becoming the first pilot to fly from New York City to Paris within a single day. Due to his support of political isolationism, he was placed under surveillance and investigated by the FBI. [22] [23] | |
File:Frank Sinatra - 1950s.JPG | Frank Sinatra | 1915–1998 | An American singer and film actor who won eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Frank Sinatra is one of the best-selling artists of all time. Due to his possible Mafia ties and relationships with the American Communist Party, he was placed under FBI surveilance for several decades. [24] [25] |
Marilyn Monroe | 1926–1962 | An American actress, model, and singer, Marilyn Monroe has often been cited as both a pop and a cultural icon, as well as the quintessential American sex symbol. Due to her alleged ties to communism, she was placed under surveillance by the FBI. From the year 1955 onwards, the FBI closely monitored her social life until months before her death. [26] [27] |
By the early 1960s, FVEY surveillance was further expanded due to the involvement of other government agencies, with notable surveillance targets including South African President Nelson Mandela, the actress Jane Fonda, and Princess Diana, whose communications were monitored by the NSA and the GCHQ. [28] [29]
Picture | Name | Lifetime | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Nelson Mandela | 1918–2013 | A South African activist, lawyer, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, Nelson Mandela worked towards dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality. Denounced as a communist and terrorist by critics, Mandela was placed under surveillance by British MI6 agents [30] [31] In 1962, Mandela was arrested after details about his terrorist activities were handed over to South African security officials by the CIA. [32] [33] | |
Noam Chomsky | 1928– | An American linguist, cognitive scientist and logician, Noam Chomsky is the creator of the Chomsky hierarchy, the universal grammar theory, and the Chomsky–Schützenberger theorem. Due to his anti-war activism in the 1960s and 70s, he was placed under surveillance by the CIA. [34] [35] | |
Martin Luther King, Jr. | 1929–1968 | An American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement , Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. Due to his alleged ties to communism, King was targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO surveillance program for much of his adult life. [36] Due to his criticism of the Vietnam War, King was targeted by the MINARET surveillance program of the NSA. [37] [38] | |
Jane Fonda | 1937– | An American actress, writer, political activist and former fashion model, Jane Fonda is the recipient of two Academy Awards, an Emmy Award and three Golden Globes. Due to her political activism, her communications as well as those of her husband, Tom Hayden, were intercepted by the GCHQ and handed over to the NSA. [39] [40] | |
Kofi Annan | 1938– | A Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan is a co-recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. In the run-up to the Iraq War, his office was bugged by British agents. [41] [42] An NSA memo detailed plans to boost eavesdropping on UN delegations of six countries as part of a "dirty tricks" campaign to apply pressure on these countries to vote in favour of using force against Iraq. [43] [44] [41] | |
John Lennon | 1940–1980 | A British musician, songwriter, and lead singer of The Beatles, John Lennon engaged in anti-war activism through several iconic songs such as " Give Peace a Chance" and " Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". In 1971, he moved to New York City to join activists in the United States to protest against the Vietnam War. Over the next 12 months, the U.S. government launched an extensive FBI surveillance program to monitor his activities and deport him back to Britain. [45] [46] | |
Muhammad Ali | 1942– | A former American professional boxer generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history, Muhammad Ali won the world heavyweight championship at the age of 22, but refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was targeted by the MINARET surveillance program of the NSA. [37] [38] | |
Diana, Princess of Wales | 1961–1997 | The Princess of Wales was placed under surveillance by the NSA, which kept a top secret file on her with more than 1,000 pages. The contents of Diana's NSA file cannot be disclosed because of national security concerns. [28] [47] | |
Kim Dotcom | 1974– | A German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur, businessman, and hacktivist, Kim Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz) is the founder of the file hosting service Megaupload. In 2012, it was revealed that the GCSB of New Zealand conducted illegal surveillance on Dotcom. Prime Minister John Key issued an apology for the GCSB's illegal surveillance. [48] [49] [50] |
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The FBI kept Keller under surveillance for most of her adult life for her radical views.
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J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), the longtime director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, considered Eleanor Roosevelt's liberal views dangerous and believed she might be involved in communist activities. He ordered his agents to monitor Roosevelt and keep what became an extensive file on her.
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This is a list of notable people who are known to have been placed under surveillance by the Five Eyes (FVEY) - a term used by intelligence agencies to refer to the following five countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. [1] [2]
FVEY countries are bound by the UKUSA Agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence. Although the UKUSA alliance is often associated with the global surveillance system ECHELON, processed intelligence is reliant on multiple sources of information and the intelligence shared is not just restricted to signals intelligence, but also involves the mutual exchange of defence intelligence, security intelligence, and human intelligence. [3]
In recent years, several security agencies of the FVEY countries have been accused of intentionally spying on one another's citizens and willingly sharing the collected information with each other, allegedly circumventing laws preventing each agency from spying on its own citizens. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Abbr | Agency | Role | Country |
---|---|---|---|
ASD | Australian Signals Directorate | Signals intelligence | Australia |
CIA | Central Intelligence Agency | Human intelligence | United States |
CSEC | Communications Security Establishment Canada | Signals intelligence | Canada |
FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation | Security intelligence | United States |
GCHQ | Government Communications Headquarters | Signals intelligence | United Kingdom |
GCSB | Government Communications Security Bureau | Signals intelligence | New Zealand |
MI5 | The Security Service | Security intelligence | United Kingdom |
MI6 | Secret Intelligence Service | Human intelligence | United Kingdom |
NSA | National Security Agency | Signals intelligence | United States |
The history of domestic spying by an FVEY agency dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, with several notable FBI targets such as the physicist Albert Einstein, the First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the English comedian Charlie Chaplin, who was targeted British security agents acting on behalf of the FBI. [8]
Picture | Name | Lifetime | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Albert Einstein | 1879–1955 | A German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity and the E = mc2 formula, Albert Einstein was in favor of socialism and critical of capitalism, which he detailed in his essays such as " Why Socialism?". Due to his alleged ties to communism, the FBI placed Einstein under surveillance as part of a campaign to banish him from the United States. [9] [10] | |
Helen Keller | 1880–1968 | An American author, political activist, and lecturer, Helen Keller was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, and was outspoken in her convictions. Due to her radical views, the FBI kept Keller under surveillance for most of her adult life. [11] [12] [13] | |
Eleanor Roosevelt | 1884–1962 | The longest-serving First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt was ranked in the top ten of Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century. She spoke out against anti-Japanese prejudice during World War II, lobbied to make lynching a federal crime and supported the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Due to her alleged ties to communism and dangerous political views, she was placed under FBI surveillance. The FBI kept a 3000-page dossier on Roosevelt, which contains charges against her for suspected communist activities and disloyalty to the country. [14] [15] [16] | |
Charlie Chaplin | 1889–1977 | An English comedian, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the silent era, Charlie Chaplin became one of the most important figures in the film industry through his screen persona " the Tramp". Due to his alleged ties to communism, he was placed under surveillance by MI5 agents acting on behalf of the FBI as part of a campaign to banish him from the United States. [8] [17] [18] | |
Ernest Hemingway | 1899–1961 | An American author, journalist and recipient of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, many of Ernest Hemingway's works are considered to be classics of American literature. Due to his alleged ties to communist Cuba, Hemingway was placed under FBI surveillance for the rest of his life and eventually committed suicide in 1961. [19] [20] [21] | |
Charles Lindbergh | 1902–1974 | An American aviator, inventor, and activist, Charles Lindbergh emerged from virtual obscurity to instantaneous world fame after becoming the first pilot to fly from New York City to Paris within a single day. Due to his support of political isolationism, he was placed under surveillance and investigated by the FBI. [22] [23] | |
File:Frank Sinatra - 1950s.JPG | Frank Sinatra | 1915–1998 | An American singer and film actor who won eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Frank Sinatra is one of the best-selling artists of all time. Due to his possible Mafia ties and relationships with the American Communist Party, he was placed under FBI surveilance for several decades. [24] [25] |
Marilyn Monroe | 1926–1962 | An American actress, model, and singer, Marilyn Monroe has often been cited as both a pop and a cultural icon, as well as the quintessential American sex symbol. Due to her alleged ties to communism, she was placed under surveillance by the FBI. From the year 1955 onwards, the FBI closely monitored her social life until months before her death. [26] [27] |
By the early 1960s, FVEY surveillance was further expanded due to the involvement of other government agencies, with notable surveillance targets including South African President Nelson Mandela, the actress Jane Fonda, and Princess Diana, whose communications were monitored by the NSA and the GCHQ. [28] [29]
Picture | Name | Lifetime | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Nelson Mandela | 1918–2013 | A South African activist, lawyer, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, Nelson Mandela worked towards dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality. Denounced as a communist and terrorist by critics, Mandela was placed under surveillance by British MI6 agents [30] [31] In 1962, Mandela was arrested after details about his terrorist activities were handed over to South African security officials by the CIA. [32] [33] | |
Noam Chomsky | 1928– | An American linguist, cognitive scientist and logician, Noam Chomsky is the creator of the Chomsky hierarchy, the universal grammar theory, and the Chomsky–Schützenberger theorem. Due to his anti-war activism in the 1960s and 70s, he was placed under surveillance by the CIA. [34] [35] | |
Martin Luther King, Jr. | 1929–1968 | An American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement , Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. Due to his alleged ties to communism, King was targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO surveillance program for much of his adult life. [36] Due to his criticism of the Vietnam War, King was targeted by the MINARET surveillance program of the NSA. [37] [38] | |
Jane Fonda | 1937– | An American actress, writer, political activist and former fashion model, Jane Fonda is the recipient of two Academy Awards, an Emmy Award and three Golden Globes. Due to her political activism, her communications as well as those of her husband, Tom Hayden, were intercepted by the GCHQ and handed over to the NSA. [39] [40] | |
Kofi Annan | 1938– | A Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan is a co-recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. In the run-up to the Iraq War, his office was bugged by British agents. [41] [42] An NSA memo detailed plans to boost eavesdropping on UN delegations of six countries as part of a "dirty tricks" campaign to apply pressure on these countries to vote in favour of using force against Iraq. [43] [44] [41] | |
John Lennon | 1940–1980 | A British musician, songwriter, and lead singer of The Beatles, John Lennon engaged in anti-war activism through several iconic songs such as " Give Peace a Chance" and " Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". In 1971, he moved to New York City to join activists in the United States to protest against the Vietnam War. Over the next 12 months, the U.S. government launched an extensive FBI surveillance program to monitor his activities and deport him back to Britain. [45] [46] | |
Muhammad Ali | 1942– | A former American professional boxer generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history, Muhammad Ali won the world heavyweight championship at the age of 22, but refused to be conscripted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was targeted by the MINARET surveillance program of the NSA. [37] [38] | |
Diana, Princess of Wales | 1961–1997 | The Princess of Wales was placed under surveillance by the NSA, which kept a top secret file on her with more than 1,000 pages. The contents of Diana's NSA file cannot be disclosed because of national security concerns. [28] [47] | |
Kim Dotcom | 1974– | A German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur, businessman, and hacktivist, Kim Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz) is the founder of the file hosting service Megaupload. In 2012, it was revealed that the GCSB of New Zealand conducted illegal surveillance on Dotcom. Prime Minister John Key issued an apology for the GCSB's illegal surveillance. [48] [49] [50] |
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The FBI kept Keller under surveillance for most of her adult life for her radical views.
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J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), the longtime director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, considered Eleanor Roosevelt's liberal views dangerous and believed she might be involved in communist activities. He ordered his agents to monitor Roosevelt and keep what became an extensive file on her.
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