What is xkeyscore, and can it eavesdrop on everyone. Documents provided by nsa whistleblower edward snowden shed light on the inner workings of xkeyscore, one of the most extensive programs of mass surveillance in human history. Critics say it allows the nsa to dip into peoples most private thoughts a claim key lawmakers reject. Two slightly different versions of this presentation have been published. The guardian has detailed new revelations from nsaleaker edward snowden about a program known as xkeyscore that has been described as the agencys widestranging tool for online data. This 32page nsa presentation dated 25 february 2008 details xkeyscore, a tool used to search unfiltered internet traffic in real time.
How the guardian broke the snowden story the atlantic. The system is described by snowden as a search engine that provides a onestop shop for access to content, metadata and realtime tracking and monitoring of user activities. Nsas internet snooping covers nearly everything done. On wednesday, the intercept, where former guardian reporter glenn greenwald now works, began delving deeper into the program, specifically looking at how nsa analysts are taught to use the system and sift through the tens of billions of records that are believed to be stored. When the snowden breach was announced, he was put on the case. Agents for the us national security agency have access to emails, online chats and other internet activity of millions of people under a surveillance programme revealed by edward snowden. Edward joseph snowden born june 21, 1983 is an american whistleblower who copied and leaked highly classified information from the national security agency nsa in 20 when he was a central intelligence agency cia employee and subcontractor. Xkeyscore the tool that lets the nsa see everything. According to reports shared by nsa leaker edward snowden with the guardian, is that in addition to all of the other recent revelations about the nsas surveillance programs, by using xkeyscore. Xkeyscore xkeyscore or xks is a formerly secret computer system used by the united states national security agency nsa for searching and analyzing.
According to the leaked documents xkeyscore allows the nsa to search nearly everything a. Xkeyscore the tool that lets the nsa see everything you do on the internet documents published by the guardian newspaper have given a fresh insight into how the us national security agency. Nsa leaker knew anonymity was fleeting mp3 duration 0. His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the nsa and the five eyes intelligence alliance with the. Nsa xkeyscore surveillance program details revealed in new. In part, thats because xkeyscore involves the use of 700 servers deployed at approximately 150 sites around. Snowden is an upcoming 2016 american biographical political thriller film directed by oliver stone and written by stone and kieran fitzgerald. The film is based on the books the snowden files by luke harding and time of the octopus by anatoly kucherena. The aclus deputy legal director, jameel jaffer, told the guardian that national security officials expressly said that a primary purpose of the new law was to enable them to collect large amounts of communications by americans without individual warrants the following example is provided by one xkeyscore document showing a nsa target in tehran communicating with people in. These facts bolster one of snowdens most controversial statements, made in his first video interview published by the guardian on june 9, 20. I dont want to live in a society that does these sort of things duration. The guardian s ewen macaskill, who helped break snowden s story in 20, has been given exclusive access to meet him 8. A top secret national security agency program allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails.
The nsas xkeyscore program, first revealed by the guardian, sweeps up countless peoples internet searches, emails, documents. The nsa xkeyscore surveillance program was collecting a lot more than web traffic and email, new documents from edward snowden reveal. A programme known as xkeyscore allows the us to monitor nearly everything a target does on the internet, leaked documents revealed wednesday, as the us aimed to do damage control by. In 2008, xkeyscore could be used to access data from around 150 field sites worldwide. Us monitors nearly everything online with xkeyscore. In june 20, the guardian reported the first leak based on topsecret. In june 20, the guardian reported the first leak based on topsecret documents that then 29yearold edward snowden stole from the national security agency. The surreal moment the guardian destroyed the snowden. Xkeyscore is apparently a tool the nsa uses to sift through massive amounts of data. According to the guardian, a report on xkeyscore by the nsa listed the project as collecting nearly everything a typical user. Xkeyscore presentation from 2008 read in full training materials for the xkeyscore program detail how analysts can use it and other systems.
According to internal analytics the guardian provided to me june 10, the day after snowden revealed his identity on the guardian s website. The snowden archive this repository is a complete collection of all documents leaked by former national security agency contractor and whistleblower edward snowden that have subsequently been published by news media around the world. Xkeyscore, the documents boast, is the nsas widest reaching system developing intelligence from computer networks what the agency calls digital network intelligence dni. New snowden leak details widestreaching nsa digital. Xkeyscore allows analysts to search vast databases and obtain information on millions of people with no prior authorization, reported the guardian. The guardian, citing documents from snowden, published national security agency training materials for the xkeyscore program, which the british newspaper described as the nsas widestreaching. Professionalismedward snowden and the nsa wikibooks. Xkeyscore is a complicated system, and various authors have different interpretations of its actual capabilities. Nsa spying software revealed by the guardian is most powerful yet mp3 duration 1. In other words, xkeyscore is something like a search engine. Word got out via the guardian earlier this week that he also disclosed details of the xkeyscore program. Nsa xkeyscore is the latest privacy invasive technology revealed by documents leaked by edward snowden. Xkeyscore is the name of the top secret national security agency program that allows analysts to search nearly everything a typical user does on the internet without authorization, according to documents released by nsa whistleblower edward snowden.
Grady and i reported in our book, is the worldwide base level database for such metadata, ambinder writes. The snowden files the inside story of the worlds most wanted man luke harding tedxathens duration. A day later, june 7,20, snowden leaked an nsa powerpoint about prism. A guide to what we now know about the nsas dragnet. Edward snowden and glenn greenwald explained xkeyscore as being a system which enables almost unlimited surveillance of anyone anywhere in the world, while the nsa has said that usage of the system is limited and restricted according to the washington post and national security. On june 6, 20, snowden leaked his first document about the nsa monitoring u. Xkeyscore digital citizenship and surveillance society. Xkeyscore is an nsa search and analysis system for data collected by other surveillance programmes. In an interview in june, edward snowden elaborated on his statement about being able to read any individuals email if he had their email address. Nsa tool collects nearly everything a user does on the internet, 31 july 20. The program, known as xkeyscore, was revealed by former nsa contractor edward snowden, who spoke with the guardian s glenn greenwald. Nsas xkeyscore spy program is as easy as typing a few. The nsa claims to have direct access to these servers while the companies.
Access to xkeyscore is shared with a number of other intelligence agencies including gchq cou01, gua01. The nsa program xkeyscore essentially makes available everything youve ever done on the web browsing history, searches, emails at the tap of a keyboard. Xkeyscore xks is the search engine interface that interacts with all nsa federated databases for the collected internet traffic, communicated data and phone metadata of private citizens. The guardian newspaper published documents detailing the programme, called xkeyscore, including what it said. Snowdens xkeyscore revelations challenged the register. He said the claim was based in part on the email search capabilities of xkeyscore, which snowden says he was authorized to use while working as a booz allen contractor for the nsa. Edward snowden, in full edward joseph snowden, born june 21, 1983, elizabeth city, north carolina, u. In 2015, many of the computer remains went on display at. The film stars joseph gordonlevitt, shailene woodley, melissa leo, zachary quinto, tom wilkinson. Xkeyscore was one of the first programs that the guardian wrote about when snowden began leaking nsa documents in 20. The guardian, citing documents from snowden, published national security agency nsa training materials for the xkeyscore program, which the newspaper described as the nsas widestreaching. The nsa reportedly has a program called xkeyscore that stores virtually all of a users online activity in a database.
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