This is a story about the different types of country-level Internet surveillance, which differ in their intent, methods, beneficiaries, and consequences, and how these affect users.
As the Internet has grown and expanded, so too has the need for people to communicate more freely and securely. Protecting your data is one of the most important aspects of this communication, and the best way to do so is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN works by creating an encrypted network between your computer and a server, thus preventing anyone outside of the secure network from seeing what you are doing.
In this post we will compare 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes & 14 Eyes Countries and how it affects VPN users. 5 Eyes: 5 Eyes is a surveillance program created by the government of the United States of America to widely share their intelligence information. It was formed by the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice’s National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan. It was activated as a result of the 9/11 Attacks and its main purpose is to give eyes to the United States Government on a global scale, a way to share intelligence information. 9 Eyes & 14 Eyes: 9 Eyes & 14 Eyes are surveillance programs that are currently in use by the European Union (EU). The purpose of both programs is to change
There has been a lot of talk and debate about data protection recently. And if you follow digital privacy issues, you’ve probably heard or known something about the Five Eyes countries and their expansion to the 9 Eyes and 14 Eyes countries. So today we will discuss what the 5 eyes, 9 eyes and 14 eyes are and how they affect global privacy.
At the individual level, privacy is difficult to define because each person desires a different level of privacy. Some have no problem sharing information about themselves, while others don’t want to share anything at all.
But on a national and even global scale, the concept of privacy has largely, if not entirely, shifted to the digital platform. The reason is obvious: almost all forms of communication, information and transactions have become digital. But lately, the concept of online privacy has become a concern for many people, both experts and the general public.
When it comes to data protection, one topic often comes up: the Global Surveillance Agreement between the 5, 9 and 14 countries. Let’s take a look at who these countries are, what they do and what role they play in protecting digital privacy.
Five-eyed ring
Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance that includes five countries – the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. According to the alliance, the five countries involved collect and share information from around the world, primarily for peacekeeping, defense and military purposes. In addition to the exchange of information, an exchange of personnel in the intelligence services of the five-eye countries is also permitted.
History and origin
After the end of World War II, in the 1940s, an alliance was formed between the United States and Britain, which was even called the UKUSA agreement. The National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in the United Kingdom have begun to work together to collect and share information.
Later, three other countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, joined them, creating the Five Eyes Agreement. It was also advantageous for the United States and the United Kingdom to join forces with these countries, as more members of the alliance meant more resources and manpower to gather global intelligence. This is how the five-eyes alliance was born.
The intelligence services of each country
The British and American intelligence agencies are called GCHQ and NSA respectively. They are also two of the largest and most powerful agencies in the intelligence field. In addition to them, the Five Eyes intelligence service also includes the security services of other states:
- Australia – Australian Signals Directorate (ASD)
- New Zealand – Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB)
- Canada – Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
What they do
Don’t expect a detailed answer about everything these agencies do. In fact, we don’t even know a fraction of what they do. After all, these are top secret agencies that work with sensitive information. For this reason, the Five Eyes Alliance was not recognized by any government in the world until 1999.
Recently, however, we have learned more about them and what they do. These agencies, simply put, spy on different countries and use different means to gather information. They need this information to ensure that no country is hostile to them and to identify and neutralize global threats.
Under the five-eye agreement, each country is responsible for monitoring a specific part of the world.
- The US controls the Middle East, Russia, China and Africa.
- United Kingdom – Europe, Middle East
- New Zealand – West Pacific
- Australia – South and East Asia
- Canada – Russia, Latin America
Five-eye alliance monitoring projects
ESPELON Programme
The Echelon program, run by the NSA, is an automated surveillance system that intercepts electronic and satellite communications. It was first revealed in 1972 by Perry Fellwock, a former NSA analyst.
Since then, many attempts have been made to find out the details of this program. Edward Snowden delivered the final blow to the secrecy of Echelon and the NSA acknowledged its existence for the first time.
ECHELON automatically intercepts and scans millions of calls, text messages and other communications. It is designed to detect certain keywords or phrases that may indicate specific national or global threats.
When such a keyword is discovered, it is reported to the staff, who use the necessary resources to understand the context in which the word/phrase was used. If the context is classified as dangerous, the person using the word is classified as a threat. It has also come to light that government officials have used Echelon to spy on the citizens of many countries.
TEMPORA
TEMPORA is another tool used by the Five Eyes Alliance in its monitoring activities. While Echelon is managed by the NSA, TEMPORA is primarily used by GCHQ. TEMPORA has focused on intercepting information sent over optical cables.
This means that TEMPORA spies on the Internet in the same way that Echelon spies on electronic communications.
TEMPORA also verifies that all information collected contains targeted keywords or phrases. If they’re discovered, they’ll go through the same process as Echelon. In fact, both instruments perform the same function, but simply control different communication channels. Again, it was Snowden who revealed the existence of this program in 2013.
XKEYSCORE
XKEYSCORE, also revealed by Snowden, is a comprehensive surveillance system shared by the NSA with certain allied countries. According to Snowden, everyone in the world can be spied on with this system. This means it can intercept all types of communications, from phone calls to visit history and GPS location.
Like the two tools mentioned above, the data collected by XKEYSCORE is also analyzed for potential threats. Of these three systems, XKEYSCORE is also considered the most advanced and comprehensive monitoring program.
However, the NSA has indicated in its official statement that the use of XKEYSCORE is limited to national security purposes and that only selected employees have access to it.
Nine Eyes Alliance
The nine-eyes alliance is an extension of the five-eyes. In addition to the five founding countries, it also includes Denmark, France, Norway and the Netherlands. Forming alliances with more countries has been a great benefit to the five-eyed countries, especially the United States and the United Kingdom, as they have gathered and exchanged more information.
However, the level of trade between the countries of the 9-eye alliance is not of the same order as that of the 5-eye alliance. A lot of information is exchanged between the five main countries. However, they exchange information with the four new allies on a limited basis. The five-eyes alliance is more cooperative, with each country working with the other for mutual benefit. However, the eyes of 9 countries are not as numerous, as Denmark, France, Norway and the Netherlands do not have as much information as the first five countries.
As a result, alliance countries often spied on each other. For example, France and the United States have often spied on each other, even though both countries are part of the Nine Eyes Alliance.
Fourteen Eyes Alliance
The 14 Eyes Alliance was formed when 5 more countries joined the Nine Eyes. These are Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and Sweden. The level of cooperation between these countries is even lower than between the Nine Eyes. So they don’t share their information as freely as the five-eyed countries do. Even if they exchange information with each other, they do so only in the interests of their country.
What do 5 eyes, 9 eyes and 14 eyes mean for digital privacy?
Just knowing that the government can spy on us anytime, anywhere is a frightening fact. But there is not enough concrete evidence to show the extent to which these agencies are spying on people. Besides, people generally trust their government, and the intelligence agencies always claim they are not doing anything immoral.
As a result, most people believe that the government follows certain moral standards and does not spy on everyone. But time after time, revelations from people like Snowden show the opposite to be true. The internet is already an unsafe place by nature. Knowing that government officials also spy on ordinary people only adds to the concern.
Of course, many people also think that these problems are not that serious. Some see it as a conspiracy, others don’t care. Many people also believe that if you do nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear, even if the government spies on you. But many people also understand that this mass surveillance is unethical and invades people’s privacy.
Even if we exclude government agencies, various companies collect our data. Amazon knows your online shopping preferences and the products you buy often. Facebook knows your name, address, email address, date of birth and even what you look like. The navigation system knows your current location and knows where you have been before. The Internet knows our personal information, our likes and dislikes, our food preferences, our interests and much more.
The idea that the government can monitor all our conversations raises the important issue of digital privacy. If the legislature itself can interfere with our private lives, to what should we turn?
Problems with the 5-, 9- and 14-eye bond
Before the Snowden affair, many people could firmly believe that government surveillance agencies were working to protect people. But now we have to ask whether governments are spying on their citizens. We do not know whether these agencies are complying with the rules and regulations because they are not accountable to a regulatory agency. That’s the biggest problem with an intelligence network like this.
The second problem is imbalance. The Five-Eyes countries are English speaking countries with a predominantly white population. No other intelligence agency or alliance can match or counter the surveillance capabilities of the Five Eyes countries. This means that these countries have an unfair advantage over many others when it comes to national and global intelligence matters. The fact that only five selected countries in the Anglo-Saxon world have so much power and influence over intelligence services and secret information is downright alarming.
Even within the five-eye countries, much of the power and influence is in the hands of the United States and the United Kingdom, creating an even greater imbalance.
Measures against global surveillance
You can argue about whether or not the government is spying on citizens, but it is absolutely certain that it has the means to do so. So let’s look at the different ways to avoid global surveillance, if not completely, at least as much as possible.
1. Change the way you think
One of the biggest problems with privacy is the perception people have of it. Many people think that if you’re not doing anything illegal, you don’t have to worry about government oversight. I don’t have to hide anything if I haven’t done anything wrong – that’s their mindset. However, you can never be sure how the government or other third parties may obtain and use your information. So the first step is to change your mindset and become more aware and concerned about your privacy.
2. Restrict the use of smart devices
Most of the gadgets we use in our homes today have become smart. You can connect your TV, fridge, fitness watch and home security system to your mobile phone at the same time. But the more you use these smart devices and the longer you use them, the more information they collect about you. And the five-eyed countries have a high degree of authority to obtain such information from other organizations. So start using fewer gadgets or reduce the total time you spend with smart devices.
3. Use a VPN to protect your privacy
Most digital surveillance methods are based on the Internet. Your IP address and browsing history are sufficient to create a basic profile of you. So one of the best ways to avoid global surveillance is to hide your online footprint by using a VPN connection. It masks your IP address and prevents your ISP from knowing anything about your online activities, the websites you visit and the information you enter.
When you are connected to a VPN, your ISP only sees that you are using a virtual private network. But they won’t know what you’re broadcasting or watching. Essentially, a VPN makes you anonymous and untraceable when you are online.
But there are also elements to consider when choosing a VPN service, such as B. :
- Choose a VPN service that offers many servers outside the 14 countries eyes. Browse through the different VPN providers and choose one that has many servers in countries other than the 14 countries eyes.
- If possible, choose a VPN service that is based entirely outside the 14 countries of the eye.
- Find out about your country’s privacy laws and rules for using a VPN.
- Buy a premium service, free VPNs are not reliable when it comes to privacy and protection.
Having used several VPN providers, I find ExpressVPN to be the best option for all types of users. It is based in the British Virgin Islands, which have not signed an alliance. ExpressVPN is also popular for its ultra-fast servers and military-grade encryption.
How does the 5-eyes, 9-eyes and 14-eyes agreement affect the use of VPN?
If one of the 14 countries in the eye has access to your online data, it can also share it with other countries. One can never be too sure what these countries are doing and what they might be doing to gather information. VPNs located in one of the 14 countries in the eye may even be forced to share sensitive information with the government, depending on that country’s privacy policy.
So to truly protect your privacy from the 14 eyes of the nations, it is not enough to use a VPN. You should choose a VPN provider based on these 4 factors:
1. Your physical location
The first thing to consider is the country you live in. If you are a national of one of the 14 countries being monitored, you should be aware of your country’s data protection laws. Do they allow the use of a VPN? Have there been cases in the past where they have abused their powers to gather information?
If you are in one of the 5 eye countries, you should use a very secure VPN connection. Because these countries are considered the most active in terms of surveillance.
2. Location of your VPN registration
The next important aspect is to know where the VPN company is located. If a company is based in a five-eye country, it’s best to avoid it. It is very likely that the intelligence services of these countries could force them to hand over the users’ data.
For maximum protection, it is best to choose a VPN that is located outside the 14 countries involved.
3. VPN server location
Most VPNs offer servers in different countries. It is important to choose a server in countries that are part of the 14-eye agreement. If the server is located in 14 countries, their authorities may have some power to access the information.
4. VPN logging policy
Logging policies relate to user information stored on the VPN servers. VPNs with zero-logging policies do not store your IP address or internet activity. Some VPNs have an identity-free registration policy, meaning they store your internet activity but not your IP address. Avoid VPNs that do not adhere to this policy.
VPN authority in 14 countries of the eye
The following table shows the legality of VPNs in 14 countries of the eye and the VPN providers based in those countries.
| Country | Alliance | VPNs | Using a VPN |
| United States | 5 eyes, 9 eyes 14 eyes | IPVanish, Hide My IP, Hotspot Shield, Private Internet Access (PIA), Private Tunnel, TorGuard, StrongVPN, Touch VPN, SecureVPN, Norton Wifi Privacy, Speedify, VPN Unlimited, SwitchVPN, Ace VPN | Legal Information |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 5 eyes, 9 eyes 14 eyes | SaferVPN, HideMyAss | Legal Information |
| Canada | 5 eyes, 9 eyes, 14 eyes | WindScribe, TunnelBear, Betternet, BTGuard VPN, SurfEasy | Legal Information |
| Australia | 5 eyes, 9 eyes, 14 eyes | Celo VPN, VPNSecure.me | Legal Information |
| New Zealand | Five, nine, fourteen eyes | – | Legal Information |
| Denmark | Nine eyes, 14 eyes. | – | Legal Information |
| France | New, 14 eyes | – | Legal Information |
| Norway | Nine, fourteen eyes | Opera VPN | Legal Information |
| Netherlands | Nine eyes, 14 eyes. | Geese VPN | Legal Information |
| Belgium | 14 eyes | – | Legal Information |
| Italy | 14 eyes | AirVPN | Legal Information |
| Germany | 14 eyes | Zenmate, Avira Phantom | Legal Information |
| Spain | 14 eyes | – | Legal Information |
| Sweden | 14 eyes | PrivateVPN, Mullvad, AzireVPN, FrootVPN | Legal Information |
Best VPN outside 14 countries
1. ExpressVPN
Here are some reasons why we think ExpressVPN is the best on the market:
- Located in the British Virgin Islands (out of 14 countries in the eye)
- It offers very fast connections on all its servers
- High-quality military encryption protocols
- Strict no-collection policy
- More than 3,000 servers in 160 locations
- It allows up to 5 simultaneous connections
- 30 days money back guarantee
2. North VPN
NordVPN also offers secure internet usage with highly secure features such as:
- Resident of Panama (outside 14 countries)
- More than 5,000 servers in 58 countries
- Decent connection speed
- No review policy
- money back offer for new users for the first month
- It also supports P2P servers
3. SurfShark
The following features make SurfShark one of the best VPNs out there in 14 eyes.
- More than 1,000 servers in 61 countries
- Decent speeds
- Multipath function for switching between two VPN servers
- CleanWeb feature to block ads and malware
- Based in the British Virgin Islands
- Low subscription price
4. CyberGhost
Our next choice is CyberGhost, which takes its place on this list because of these features:
- Residence in Romania
- It provides advanced encryption and high security
- More than 6,000 servers in 89 countries
- Decent speeds
- A reliable service, in operation since 2001
Our Winner (ExpressVPN is a leading VPN provider with a high level of privacy and security)
If you are looking for a reliable VPN service, our recommendation is ExpressVPN. Let’s look at some of the key features that make it a top VPN provider.
Most Searched
ExpressVPN
Our score is 9.8
Prices start at $6.67/month
Visit the page
Area of responsibility
Virgin Islands
Server
3000+
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Supported Applications
Works with
Kodi, Torrenting, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Sky, HBO
Special offer: 49% off a 15-month plan
For
- VPN servers in 94 countries
- Very high speed – ideal for streaming
- Strict ban on journalism
- Very strong 256-bit encryption
- No restrictions on streaming
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Network lock (killswitch)
- Unlocks Netflix and BBC iPlayer
- Secure use of P2P and torrents
- Special applications and easy configuration on all devices
- 5 simultaneous connections
- Excellent 24/7 chat/email support
- Bitcoin is accepted
- 30 days money back guarantee
Cons
- No free test
Visit ExpressVPN
Here are the reasons why we think ExpressVPN is the best on the market, regardless of need:
- Its headquarters are in the British Virgin Islands, which is outside the jurisdiction of the 14 countries of the eye.
- They do not record your actual IP address or your browsing history. When you work online with ExpressVPN, your activities are completely anonymous.
- Lightning fast speeds and over 3,000 servers to choose from at 160 server locations in 94 countries.
- Customer service is first class: 24/7 customer service and fast response time of 15-30 minutes. Support is provided via live chat, email, tickets, support documentation and a contact form. When we personally used the live chat option, it took no more than two minutes to get a response from a support person. Support tickets are managed with Zendesk.
- Compatible with all platforms – Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and Router.
- Available plans range from monthly to yearly, with interesting discount offers.
Endnote
The alliance of the 5 eyes and the alliances of the 9 eyes and the 14 eyes together form a powerful organ of perception. However, the power they wield is centralized in the Eye Alliance and there are no other organizations that can control them. This makes the issue of surveillance and privacy even more sensitive. The data released by Snowden makes the government agencies of these alliances highly suspect.
Even if we cannot be sure that we are being watched, the least we can do as private citizens is to be well informed and remain vigilant. We hope you will find the information about these intelligence alliances useful and informative, and remember that it is our responsibility to protect our own privacy.
Finally, we encourage you to follow the tips we’ve shared to get the most out of VPN services and stay safe. You may not know if the activities of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes and Fourteen Eyes are relevant to you personally. But you should be careful for the sake of your own privacy and try good VPNs like ExpressVPN.
Related:
- The best VPNs for Amazon Fire TV Stick
- Best VPN for BBC iPlayer
- Best VPN for Kodi
- Why do you need a VPN?
- Are VPNs legal and safe to use?
We do not check the legality or safety of any add-ons, applications or services mentioned on this website. Furthermore, we do not promote, publish or link to copyrighted feeds. We strongly condemn piracy and urge our readers to avoid it at all costs. Any mention of free streaming on our website refers only to non-copyrighted public domain content. Read our full disclaimer.
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In this article, we will discuss how the 5 eyes, 9 eyes and 14 Eyes countries affect VPN users. It’s no secret that the internet is inherently insecure. And that’s not because of the network itself, but because of the government agencies that keep a watch on it, through what are known as “Five Eyes”, “Nine Eyes” or “14 Eyes” countries.. Read more about five eyes china and let us know what you think.{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What does 9 eyes mean?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:” 9 eyes is a slang term for the eyes of a person.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What is a 14 EYES country?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:” 14 EYES is a country that is a member of the European Union.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Why is it called 5 eyes?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:” The term “5 eyes” refers to the five countries that are members of the Five Eyes alliance: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.”}}]}
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 9 eyes mean?
9 eyes is a slang term for the eyes of a person.
What is a 14 EYES country?
14 EYES is a country that is a member of the European Union.
Why is it called 5 eyes?
The term “5 eyes” refers to the five countries that are members of the Five Eyes alliance: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
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