Signals intelligence by alliances, nations and industries

Signals intelligence is when a group--or an alliance, nation, or industry--uses technology to collect and analyze secret (or "classified") messages or other kinds of communication. They do this to try to find out information that could help them to protect their people and their interests. For example, if one country suspects that another country is planning an attack, they might use signals intelligence to find out more about the attack plans. Or, an industry might use signals intelligence to research a competitor to see what kinds of products the competitor is working on.
In short, signals intelligence is the process of using technology to spy on people by intercepting their conversations and messages. The goal is to find out secrets that could give someone an advantage.