Communications Security Establishment facts for kids
Badge of the CSE
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CSE wordmark
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1946 |
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| Type | government agency responsible for
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| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 3,018 (2022) |
| Annual budget | $863.6 million (2022) |
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| Child agencies |
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The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is Canada's national agency for cryptology, which is the science of making and breaking codes. It used to be called the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) from 2008 to 2014. CSE has several important jobs. It collects foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT), which means gathering information from electronic signals from other countries. It also protects the Canadian government's electronic information and communication networks. Think of it as the main expert for cyber security and keeping information safe.
CSE works closely with the Department of National Defence. It reports to the Minister of National Defence, who then reports to the Canadian government and Parliament. The current head of CSE is Caroline Xavier, who started in August 2022. In 2015, CSE moved into a new, large headquarters in Ottawa, right next to the building for the CSIS.
Contents
What is CSE's History?
CSE's story began during World War II. Back then, Canada needed to break codes and gather intelligence to help with the war effort.
How Did the Examination Unit Start?
The Examination Unit (XU) was created in June 1941 during World War II. It was part of the National Research Council. This was Canada's first civilian office focused only on decryption (code-breaking). Before this, only the military handled SIGINT.
The XU worked to intercept and decode messages from countries like Vichy France and Germany. Later, its job grew to include Japanese communications after Japan joined the war. About 50 people worked there at any one time.
By the end of the war in 1945, military and civilian code-breaking units worked together very well. This led officials to think about continuing these operations even after the war. In April 1946, a secret government order created the Communications Branch of the National Research Council of Canada (CBNRC). This agency was the start of today's CSE.
What Was the Communications Branch of the National Research Council?
The Communications Branch of the National Research Council (CBNRC) started its work on September 3, 1946. It was Canada's first secret peace-time cryptologic agency. It combined the civilian Examination Unit (XU) and the military Joint Discrimination Unit (JDU).
The CBNRC collected foreign electronic communications. These were often gathered from stations like the one at Rockcliffe Airport. They also worked with Canadian Forces Station Leitrim (CFS Leitrim), Canada's oldest signal intelligence station. This unit successfully decoded, translated, and analyzed these foreign signals. They turned this raw information into useful intelligence reports.
In 1947, CBNRC also began working on COMSEC, which is about keeping Canada's own communications safe. During the Cold War, CBNRC mainly provided intelligence about the Soviet Union's military actions to the Department of National Defence.
For 34 years, the CBNRC and its work were kept secret. But on January 9, 1974, a TV show called The Fifth Estate revealed its existence. This led to public discussion and the government finally admitted the organization was real.
When Did it Become the Communications Security Establishment?
In 1975, the CBNRC became the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). It was moved under the Department of National Defence. By this time, CSE was publicly known and had expanded its work beyond just the Cold War.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Canada passed the Anti-terrorism Act. This law officially recognized and set out CSE's activities. It also gave CSE more power to help fight terrorism.
Around 2008, CSE changed its public name to Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). This was to follow a government rule that most federal agencies should have "Canada" in their name. However, since mid-2014, the organization has gone back to using its original legal name, Communications Security Establishment (CSE).
In 2011, CSE became an independent agency. It still works under the National Defence portfolio. In June 2019, the Communications Security Establishment Act was passed. This new law clearly defined CSE's purpose and powers.
What Does CSE's Badge Mean?
CSE uses standard government identifiers. However, it also has its own special badge, which was given to it in 1994. The badge helps identify CSE as a security agency.
From the 1990s to the mid-2000s, CSE's Information Technology Security program used a specific logo. This logo had a triangle to represent threats and an arc to symbolize protection.
How Does CSE Operate?
CSE is special in Canada's security and intelligence world. It employs both code-makers and code-breakers (cryptanalysis). Their job is to provide the Canadian government with information technology security and foreign signals intelligence. CSE also helps the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other federal law enforcement agencies.
What is Signal Intelligence?
CSE works closely with its closest foreign intelligence partners: the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. These countries share the work of collecting intelligence and the information they find. Canada benefits greatly from this teamwork.
During the Cold War, CSE mainly helped National Defence by providing information about the Soviet Union's military. Today, CSE's work has grown. It now helps many government departments with political, defence, and security issues. There's also a growing focus on protecting Canadians from global threats like terrorism.
What Equipment Does CSE Use for Code Breaking?
CSE's code-breaking abilities improved a lot in the 1980s. They got a very powerful computer called a Cray X-MP/11 in 1985. At the time, it was the strongest computer in Canada. Later, they bought other advanced supercomputers. These machines helped them analyze and break complex codes.
Not much public information is available about the exact computers CSE uses today. However, technology has advanced greatly, and it's likely they use very powerful and modern systems.
What is the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security?
| Centre Canadien pour la Cyber Sécurité | |
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| Parent department | Communications Security Establishment |
| Website | cyber.gc.ca |
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS or Cyber Centre) is the Canadian government's main authority for cyber security. It monitors threats, protects important national systems, and helps coordinate Canada's response to cyber incidents.
The Cyber Centre is part of CSE. It acts as Canada's computer emergency response team. It also serves as the Canadian government's team for responding to computer incidents.
The Cyber Centre was officially created on October 1, 2018. It brought together different cyber-security units from various government organizations. This included parts of Public Safety Canada, Shared Services Canada, and CSE's own Information Technology Security branch.
How Did the Cyber Centre Start?
Before the Cyber Centre, CSE had an Information Technology Security branch. This branch protected sensitive government information. In 2016, CSE talked to Canadians about cyber security. They found that people wanted better coordination and leadership in this area.
So, in 2018, the government set aside money to launch the Cyber Centre. It officially opened on October 1, 2018. It combined several existing cyber-security teams into one strong unit.
What is the Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing?
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| Institute overview | |
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| Formed | 2011 |
| Type | research institute |
| Jurisdiction | Canada |
| Headquarters | Edward Drake Building, Ottawa, ON |
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| Parent department | Communications Security Establishment |
The Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing (TIMC) is a research program of the Canadian government. It conducts secret research in cryptology and knowledge discovery. This research supports Canada's code-breaking efforts and its international partners.
TIMC officially opened in September 2011. It is named after William T. Tutte, a famous code-breaker and mathematician. TIMC is located inside CSE's Edward Drake Building in Ottawa.
The institute works with other research groups, government agencies, and universities. Researchers at TIMC developed a technique called Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP). This was first used to analyze malware (harmful software). Now, UMAP is available to everyone and is even used to study COVID-19.
Where Are CSE's Facilities?
CSE has several buildings in Ottawa. These include the Edward Drake Building and the nearby Sir Leonard Tilley Building. CSE moved into the Tilley Building in 1961. In 2015, CSE officially opened the Edward Drake Building. It was named after Lt. Colonel Edward Drake, who was a pioneer in Canadian signals intelligence.
Because CSE has grown, new facilities were built. A large new building was completed in 2015 in eastern Ottawa. It is right next to the building for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
How is CSE Governed and What is its Mandate?
CSE must follow all Canadian laws. This includes the Criminal Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Privacy Act.
In 2001, the Canadian government passed the Anti-Terrorism Act. This law officially set out CSE's three main jobs:
- To gather and use information from global electronic networks to provide foreign intelligence. This helps the Canadian government with its intelligence priorities.
- To offer advice and services to protect the electronic information and systems important to the Canadian government.
- To provide technical help to federal law enforcement and security agencies. This assists them in their legal duties.
The Anti-Terrorism Act also gave CSE the necessary powers to help in the fight against terrorism.
What is the Communications Security Establishment Act?
In June 2019, the Communications Security Establishment Act (CSE Act) became law. This Act outlines five key parts of CSE's job:
- Collecting foreign intelligence (SIGINT).
- Providing cybersecurity and information safety for the Canadian government's electronic information and systems.
- Conducting defensive cyber operations (protecting against cyber attacks).
- Conducting active cyber operations (taking action in cyberspace).
- Giving technical help to federal law enforcement, security agencies, and the Canadian military.
The CSE Act states that CSE's activities must not target Canadians anywhere in the world, or anyone in Canada. This is unless there is a serious and immediate danger to life. The Act also requires CSE to protect the privacy of Canadians. By law, CSE cannot intercept communications within Canada. If they intercept a message between a Canadian and a foreign source, the Canadian part of the message is destroyed or ignored. However, after the September 11 attacks in 2001, CSE's powers expanded. They can now intercept foreign communications that start or end in Canada, but only if the other person is outside Canada and a special authorization is given.
How is CSE Overseen?
The Minister of National Defence guides CSE's activities. The Minister uses special directions based on the government's intelligence priorities. The Defence Minister cannot allow CSE to do anything outside its legal mandate or give it powers not allowed by Canadian law.
CSE is overseen by several independent groups:
- National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA): This agency is fully independent. Its members are chosen by the Prime Minister. They handle complaints against all Canadian national security agencies.
- Intelligence Commissioner: This person is independent of CSE. They oversee all national security and intelligence gathering activities of the Canadian government, including CSE. The Commissioner reports to the Prime Minister each year.
- National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP): This is a group of Members of Parliament. They have the necessary security clearances to review and report on any part of CSE's activities.
CSE's activities are also reviewed by other federal bodies. These include the Privacy Commissioner, the Information Commissioner, and the Auditor General.
Who Leads the CSE?
The CSE has had several leaders over the years. The current Chief of the CSE is Caroline Xavier, who started in August 2022. The first head of the agency, when it was the Communications Branch of the National Research Council, was Edward Drake.
What is ECHELON?
Under a 1948 agreement called UKUSA, CSE shares its intelligence with other countries. These are the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), and New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).
Together with these agencies, CSE is believed to be part of the ECHELON system. This system is thought to be able to monitor a large amount of the world's phone calls, faxes, and data traffic. The collected data is reportedly linked together by powerful computers.
See also
- Badge of the Communications Security Establishment
- Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
- Cray
- ECHELON
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- Security clearances
- Security of Information Act
- List of intelligence agencies
