"European GCHQ-thingie"
Sorry I'm a bit late.
If you've not heard of and read about Echelon in the last decade and a half, now might be a good time to catch up.
Here's one place you might start:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/09/14/this_is_how_we_know/ (Echelon exists)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
