As the surveillance capabilities of the FVEY continue to increase to keep up to pace with technological advancements, a
global surveillance system has been gradually developed to capture the communications of entire populations across national borders.[9] The following list contains a handful of targets of the FVEY who are public figures in various fields. In order for a person to be included in the list, there must be well-documented evidence based on reliable sources, such as
leaked or
declassified FVEY documents or
whistleblower accounts, which demonstrate that the person involved is, or was, intentionally targeted for surveillance.
A
comedian, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the
silent era, Charlie Chaplin became one of the most important figures in the film industry through his screen persona "
the Tramp". Due to his alleged ties to
communism, he was placed under surveillance by MI5 agents acting on behalf of the FBI as part of a campaign to banish him from the United States.
A firm opponent of the international usage of
land mines, the
Princess of Wales was placed under surveillance by the GCHQ and the NSA, which kept a
top secret file on her containing more than 1,000 pages. The NSA has not released Diana's file, citing
national security concerns.
An Internet entrepreneur, businessman, and
hacktivist, Kim Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz) is the founder of the file hosting service
Megaupload. On behalf of the FBI, the GCSB conducted illegal surveillance on Dotcom, who is a permanent resident of New Zealand. Prime Minister
John Key later issued an apology for the GCSB's illegal surveillance.
A
Shiacleric and a former
President of Iran, Ali Khamenei is the current
Supreme Leader of Iran. During a rare visit to
Iranian Kurdistan in 2009, he and his entourage were targeted for surveillance under a high-tech espionage mission involving the analysis and processing of
satellite imagery. The operation was jointly conducted by the GCHQ and the NSA.
A musician, songwriter, and lead singer of
The Beatles, John Lennon engaged in
anti-war activism through several iconic songs such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". In 1971, he moved to
New York City to join activists in the United States to protest against the
Vietnam War. Over the next 12 months, the U.S. government launched an extensive surveillance operation to monitor his activities and to deport him back to Britain. The operation was conducted by the FBI with the help of MI5.
An activist, lawyer, and
philanthropist who served as
President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, Nelson Mandela was denounced as a terrorist by critics and was placed under surveillance by British MI6 agents. In 1962, Mandela was arrested after details of his alleged terrorist activities were picked up by the CIA and handed over to local authorities.
A former chief military observer of the
United Nation Peacekeeping Force in
Bosnia and the former
President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife were placed under surveillance by the ASD, which shared details of the operation with the NSA.
^Barton Gellman (24 December 2013).
"Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission's accomplished". The Washington Post.
Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2013. Taken together, the revelations have brought to light a global surveillance system that cast off many of its historical restraints after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Secret legal authorities empowered the NSA to sweep in the telephone, Internet and location records of whole populations.