By Will Sturgeon, 17 October 2005 17:50
NEWS Dame Stella Rimington, the former director general of MI5, has said her job would have been much harder without technology - even if it also raised the bar in terms of the challenges she faced.
Speaking at the RSA Conference Europe in Vienna today, Rimington said technologies such as advanced encryption make intelligence gathering far more difficult but she added the pros far outweigh the cons where technology is concerned.
"Every development made in protecting information makes it more difficult for the intelligence service to access that information," she said but added that agencies must work with vendors to understand encryption and ensure nobody's technology is unwittingly protecting the terrorists.
"For every type of encryption there is a key," said Rimington. "There have been cases where encryption has been a problem momentarily but we have always overcome it."
Among the developments in the tech world which have had the greatest impact on the intelligence service, Rimington singled out battery life and size.
"The size of battery needed to power a remote microphone used to make it very difficult to conceal. It's now become a great deal easier to conceal such things," she said.
"However skilled the intelligence service is their success is going to increasingly rely upon the quality and the security of the technology they use. Although human resources are vital they must be supported and supplemented by technology."
On the controversial proposals to keep suspects in custody without trial, Rimington said this is also an issue where technology is a key consideration.
"Keeping suspects for three months without charge is outrageous to some people, quite rightly, but it may also be essential. The complexity of the data which needs to be sorted - much of which is encrypted - may mean that needs to be the case," said Rimington.
Other technologies which transformed her department during her tenure included mobile phones and the tracking on locating of calls.
Of terrorists she said: "These people do have to talk to each other and they have to communicate and that makes them vulnerable."
The ability to share information securely across multiple regions in real time also proved a major bonus to MI5, said Rimington.
"When I started, all information was put down on paper and filed. Sharing that information literally meant putting boxes of files in a van and driving them across London," said the former MI5 chief.
Rimington also spoke candidly about the intelligence service's decision to start recruiting online. She said it's a far cry from how she was recruited, which involved a secretive approach from a stranger in New Delhi.
"The days of getting the 'tap on the shoulder' are over," she said.
Comments
There are 5 comments. Join the discussion
1. Dick Vinegar
Conversely, how long does it take for baddies to decrypt an MI5 or MI6 message?
2. J.Bond
More or less Adrian.
3 months to crack a specific isn't too hard.
Also, we've often cracked the cipher before we need it.
In the event of not having the time, we approach the vendor.
The vendors work nicely with us.
Thanks,
James.
3. Andy Bishop
The main impact of technology is massive intrusion into personal lives. We have never been so snooped on by video cameras. The phone tapping, analysis and tracing has been never better. The general public do not have the slightest inkling of the true capability. The current administration is relatively well behaved, if not forgetful of short term history. If a more oppressive government evolved the surveillance technology would rapidly evaporate any remaining freedoms. We are rapidly approaching a society where many things are banned. We will reach a state where you cannot do something unless it has been permitted.
There needs to be constitutional legal controls written into laws governing the use of such technology. Any person abusing such technology should be send to prison for a long time.
4. Charles Smith
It isn't Sci-Fi folks. Who believes that any of the commercial encryptions don't have a masterkey known to the security services?
The security services can easily remotely turn any mobile phone into an "Infinity phone" without it even ringing. It will transmit the local conversations and it won't show on the phone bill.
Earlier this year I had in my hand a commercial mobile phone that also had GSM, satellite and GPS facilities. It is slightly larger than the standard mobile phone.
One of the reasons why the phone was issued was so that we could track the location of the handset, in an emergency, to an accuracy of a few yards. It didn't need special software nor the involvlement of the 'phone companies.
5. denis parsons
With all our Technology we can't beat the criminals .That's got to be criminal.