Singapore, Seoul key players in ‘Five Eyes’ spy ring

Singapore, Seoul key players in ‘Five Eyes’ spy ring: A report last night by Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, published a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) map that revealed the U.S. and its “Five Eyes” spy network monitored high-speed fiber cables at 20 locations across the globe. This surveillance alliance comprised nations such as Australia, the U.K., and Canada, which exchanged spy information and operations involved cooperation with local telcos.

The map confirmed Singapore and South Korea as key “third parties” working with the Five Eyes network, according to Brisbane Times which cited NRC Handelsblad’s report. It also revealed the U.S. had access to trans-Pacific communications channels with interception facilities on the West coast as well as Hawaii and Guam, with the ability to tap network traffic across the Pacific Ocean and between Australia and Japan.

A Sydney Morning Herald report in August revealed Singapore carrier, SingTel, had been facilitating intelligence agencies with access to traffic carried by the SEA-ME-WE-3 cables, linking Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Citing Australian intelligence sources, the report said the security and intelligence division of Singapore’s Ministry of Defence co-operated with Australia’s Defence Signals Directorate in sharing communications carried over the SEA-ME-WE-3 as well as the SEA-ME-WE-4 cable that runs from Singapore to southern France.