[9], Menwith Hill came to public attention in 1980 when British magazine the New Statesman published an article which suggested that the station was the world's largest phone tapping facility and highlighted the secrecy afforded to it by the British and US governments. Fabian Hamilton, a member of Parliament based in the nearby city of Leeds, has become a supporter of the campaigns work, occasionally attending events organized by the group and advocating for more transparency at Menwith Hill. In 1954, the British War Office purchased 246 acres (100 hectares) of land at Nessfield Farm, located approximately 7 kilometres (4.3mi) west of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Its primary mission is to provide intelligence support for UK, US and allied interests." Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Among operations buildings in which analysts listen in on monitored conversations, there is a bowling alley, a small pool hall, a bar, a fast food restaurant, and a general store. "[41], Between 1984 and 1995 a number of peace camps were established in close proximity to the station. [43], Objections to the Strategic Defense Initiative have led to demonstrators storming the perimeter fence,[44][45] and to demands in 2007 from Labour MPs for a full debate about missile defence and Menwith Hill. Its huge and heavily protected acreage sits on rolling moorland in rural North Yorkshire outside the town of Harrogate. This connection was replaced in 1992 by a new high capacity fibre-optic cable. The 421st Air Base Group provides the majority of support services but the base is commanded by an officer of the RAF. Spy base 'golf ball' radar shelters approved, Spy base plans for extra radar antenna shelters, Watch the moment train travels across miniature version of Knaresborough Viaduct, York and Chester council officers to meet to discuss Blue Badge access, Plans to reopen Victorian quarry in Yorkshire mired by concerns over lorries, Malton crew called to fire in garden in early hours, Yorkshire coast route from Robin Hoods Bay to Whitby named one of the best coastal walks in the UK by experts, Vehicle fire on major road through North Yorkshire - road reopens, AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, France May Day protests leave dozens of police injured, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. By 2008, the apparent popularity of GHOSTHUNTER within the intelligence community meant that it was rolled out at other surveillance bases where NSA has a presence, including in Ayios Nikolaos, Cyprus, and Misawa, Japan. In early 2010, the agency revealed in an internal report that it had launched a new technique at the British base to identify many targets at almost 40 different geolocated internet cafs in Yemens Shabwah province and in the countrys capital, Sanaa. Moving to a new country can often be confusing and stressful; however, it can also be exciting. A 2009 document added that GHOSTHUNTERs focus was at that time on geolocation of internet cafs in the Middle East/North Africa region in support of U.S. military operations and said that it had to date successfully geolocated over 5,000 VSAT terminals in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran. VSAT, or Very Small Aperture Terminal, is a satellite system commonly used by internet cafs and foreign governments in the Middle East to send and receive communications and data.
