Stefan Mileschin

The UK's telecommunications infrastructure is being used as part of a global defence intelligence network to help the US government conduct drone strikes.

Computer Weekly has revealed that the situation is just as damaging as the situation where illegal US rendition flights to land at UK military sites, or permitting the US government to launch air strikes from its airforce bases in the UK.

Apparently the US depends on the UK to provide part of the core communications backbone used by drone operations.

The UK government and BT both deny any knowledge of the specific purposes for which the network is used, but then they would, wouldn't they?

Legal charity Reprieve alleged last year that the UK connection is used for drone strikes on suspected terrorists outside the usual parameters of war but a lack of evidence about the UK connection has blocked the charity's attempts to hold BT and the government to account.

However Computer Weekly thinks it has found the smoking gun which has established that the UK connection is part of a US military network that is used to target drone strikes.

http://news.techeye.net/business/uk-...-drone-strikes