Terrorism, Surveillance, and Radio-Transmitters :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Terrorism, Surveillance, and Radio-Transmitters      Ã‚  Ã‚   ABSTRACT: This paper is an introduction into the discussion of different types of surveillance equipment. The paper centers on different intelligence agencies worldwide that use surveillance equipment, the types of information they need, and how they go about gathering the information. There is also a discussion on the most common type of surveillance equipment used by intelligence agencies, the radio transmitter. The transmitter is described in detail and its myriad of uses in surveillance are illustrated. Finally the ethical question of using surveillance devices that infringe upon the privacy of the individual is discussed.    The topic of our presentation was surveillance, however in order to get a better understanding of the need for surveillance in todays world it is necessary to investigate the role of intelligence organizations, who are one of the major users of surveillance equipment. This paper will analyze the purpose of intelligence organizations, look at the types of information these agencies are seeking, and identify key international intelligence agencies. Moreover the most common type of surveillance equipment used by intelligence agencies worldwide,the radio transmitter, will be examined and explained.    In a dissimilar world, with nations having many different political, economic, and social agendas, information is truly a prime element of a nation's power. Thus intelligence agencies have developed in all major countries to "collect and evaluate information for the purpose of discovering the capabilities and intention of their rivals."[1] In the United States, the importance of this type of information is illustrated by Executive Order No. 12333 which states that the nations intelligence system must "Provide the President with the necessary information on which to base decisions concerning the conduct and development of foreign, defense, and economic policy, and the protection of US. national interests from foreign security threats by any legal means necessary."[2] Consequently, collection of intelligence information is of prime importance for nations to subsiste.    The sources of this intelligence information come from two broad categories: public and covert. When most people think of intelligence organizations they automatically think of James Bond movies and other clandestine spy missions, however over 80% of the information that these intelligence organizations collect comes from public sources like newspapers, media, government documents, embassies, and diplomats. Only about 20% of the information comes from covert sources, but this 20% of the information often turns out to be the most valuable.