The ‘Eyes’ are on Us: 5/9/14 Eyes

Ali Qamar  - Cybersecurity Analyst
Last updated: December 18, 2023
Read time: 19 minutes
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Find out everything about 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, and 14 Eyes in detail. Know what countries boast these intelligence-sharing agreements and who are not a part of them.

THE TAKEAWAYS

Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes are the world’s famous state intelligence alliances. The member countries have unanimously announced monitoring and sharing the online activities of their internet users. The idea behind these grand surveillance alliances links back to the UK-USA agreement signed after WWII. At first, five countries agreed to share signals intelligence and mass surveillance data. Later, some other countries joined them, creating the 9- and 14-Eyes alliances. The worst thing is that these international alliances allow spying on their own citizens. Through IP addresses, they monitor, log, and share the users’ online activities with other alliance members.

When choosing the type of security, you must watch out for the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes, especially while purchasing VPNs and other privacy enhancement tools.

Your internet service provider (ISP) may be linked to this surveillance alliance. They may even be handing your personal data to them. Your IP address is the simplest thing to track down by anyone, but it can be trouble for you in the hands of the wrong people.

This article will teach you all you need to know about the 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, and 9 Eyes. That includes every country involved, what they do, and how you can stop them from getting your personal data.

What is the 5 Eyes alliance?

The Five Eyes (abbreviated as FVEY) refers to the countries constituting the surveillance alliance. The members of the five eyes include:

  • The United States of America (USA)
  • The United Kingdom (UK)
  • New Zealand
  • Canada