(Updated: July 4, 2018)
On August 15, The New York Times too Pro Publica published a flush inward which the large US telecommunication fellowship AT&T was identified every bit a key partner of the NSA.
Interesting details almost this cooperation too the cable tapping were already inward the 2008 volume The Shadow Factory past times James Bamford, but alongside the novel story, also a issue of clarifying documents from the Snowden-trove were disclosed.
Among them are some powerpoint presentations that incorporate the slides which had been shown on Brazilian televion 2 years ago. They were start discussed on this weblog inward Jan 2014.
Here nosotros volition combine these novel too old documents to render a detailed movie of this of import collection program, that was previously misunderstood on diverse occasions.
- Context - Legal authorities - Tapping points -
- Dataflow - Results - Domestic metadata - Conclusion -
- Dataflow - Results - Domestic metadata - Conclusion -
The AT&T switching middle at 611 Folsom Street, San Francisco,
where there's a cable access nether the FAIRVIEW program
(Photo via Wikimapia - Click to enlarge)
Context
At NSA, the segmentation Special Source Operations (SSO) is responsible for collecting information from backbone telephone too cyberspace cables. For that, SSO also cooperates alongside private telecommunication providers nether the next 4 programs, which are collectively referred to every bit Upstream Collection:
- BLARNEY (collection nether FISA authority, since 1978)
- FAIRVIEW (cooperation alongside AT&T, since 1985)
- STORMBREW (cooperation alongside Verizon, since 2001)
- OAKSTAR (cooperation alongside seven other telecoms, since 2004)*
Before the novel revelations, it was oft assumed that BLARNEY was the programme for NSA's cooperation alongside AT&T. The Wall Street Journal reported this inward August 2013, based upon onetime officials, proverb that BLARNEY was established for capturing unusual communications at or close over a dozen key international fiber-optic cable landing points. This supposition was also followed past times Glenn Greenwald inward his volume No Place to Hide from May 2014.
In a slide however, shows that BLARNEY genuinely encompasses all (over 30) companies that are cooperating for FISA collection, including of class AT&T too Verizon.
Speculations
The supposition that BLARNEY was the programme for AT&T left room for speculation almost the role too range of the FAIRVIEW program.
For example, onetime NSA official too whistleblower Thomas Drake told DailyDot.com inward July 2013 that FAIRVIEW was for tapping into the world's intercontinental fiber-optic cables too "to ain the Internet". According to Drake it was an umbrella programme alongside other programs, similar BLARNEY, underneath it.
Similarly speculative was proofs that NSA collects "content too metadata on US citizens" because those collection points are spread across the country:
Slide from an NSA presentation every bit shown on the Brazilian
boob tube demo Fantástico on September 8, 2013
The novel revelations past times The New York Times too Pro Publica have got at nowadays shown that the explanations past times both Drake too Binney were misleading: FAIRVIEW is neither an overarching cyberspace tapping program, nor is it collecting communications of US citizens.
Cover names
Closest to the truth came NSA historian WHIPGENIE (WPG).
Although Snowden seems to have got had no access to that ECI compartment, reporters for Pro Publica were able to position both companies based upon diverse details found inward the NSA documents almost the STORMBREW too FAIRVIEW programs.
Legal authorities
The actual role of FAIRVIEW tin ship away hold upwards learned from an NSA presentation, which clearly says the programme is for collecting communications of unusual targets at collection points that are within the United States. Two other excerpts state that FAIRVIEW is also used for electrical current too hereafter "cyber plans", which in all probability include searching for malware signatures.
All this happens nether iii dissimilar legal authorities, too for each there's a dissimilar SIGINT Activity Designator (SIGAD):
Traditional FISA:
- Communications of persons beingness agents of unusual powers or connected to international terrorist groups
- Individualized warrant needed from the FISA Court
- Internet traffic only (SIGAD: US-984T)
Section 702 FAA:
- Communications of foreigners/with i goal foreign
- Must hold upwards justified nether an annual FAA Certification
- All kinds of cyberspace traffic (SIGAD: US-984XR)
- Telephone traffic (SIGAD: US-984X2)
Transit Authority:
- Communications alongside both ends foreign
- No external blessing required
- Internet traffic: only email (SIGAD: US-990)
- Telephony: according to "Directory ONMR" (SIGAD: US-990)
For collection nether Transit Authority, the presentation says that communications "must hold upwards confirmed foreign-to-foreign", which is ensured past times filters at the actual tapping points (see phase 1 of the dataflow, downward below).
These filters only frontwards authorized traffic to the choice engines, which too so pick out the communications that check alongside potent selectors, similar email addresses, telephone numbers, etc. These selectors are entered into the organisation past times analysts using the tasking tools UTT, CADENCE (for internet) too OCTAVE (for telephony).
Examples of such selected, authorized traffic tin ship away hold upwards seen inward a issue of slides that were shown inward a Fantástico report from July 9, 2013. They are from a presentation that has non yet been released. These slides incorporate maps, which demo the amount of cyberspace traffic to countries similar North Korea, Russia, Islamic Republic of Pakistan too Iran, every bit seen on March 4-5, 2012.
Scroll hither >
In the start slide nosotros run across for illustration cyberspace traffic (DNI) to Pakistan, which has been determined to hold upwards foreign-to-foreign too may thus hold upwards collected nether Transit Authority. As such, front-end filters forwarded this traffic to the choice engines for farther filtering.
The slide below has a map showing the cyberspace traffic to Pakistan, which is eligible for collection nether FAA authority:
The adjacent slide shows a listing of "Top xx Pakistani domains (.pk)" which where tracked betwixt Feb 15, 2012 too March 11, 2012:
H5N1 map representing "1 Day view of authorized (FAA ONLY) DNI traffic volumes to Democratic People's South Korea within FAIRVIEW environment", which way cyberspace traffic which is authorized for collection nether FAA authority:
Next is a listing op "Top xx North Korean domains (.kp)" which where tracked betwixt Feb 15, 2012 too March 11, 2012. Note that only 2 websites generate notable traffic, all other have got less than 1 Kbps:
H5N1 map showing cyberspace traffic to Iran, which is eligible for collection nether FAA authority:
H5N1 map showing cyberspace traffic to Russia, which is authorized for collection nether Transit authority:
The slide below has a map showing the cyberspace traffic to Pakistan, which is eligible for collection nether FAA authority:
The adjacent slide shows a listing of "Top xx Pakistani domains (.pk)" which where tracked betwixt Feb 15, 2012 too March 11, 2012:
H5N1 map representing "1 Day view of authorized (FAA ONLY) DNI traffic volumes to Democratic People's South Korea within FAIRVIEW environment", which way cyberspace traffic which is authorized for collection nether FAA authority:
Next is a listing op "Top xx North Korean domains (.kp)" which where tracked betwixt Feb 15, 2012 too March 11, 2012. Note that only 2 websites generate notable traffic, all other have got less than 1 Kbps:
H5N1 map showing cyberspace traffic to Iran, which is eligible for collection nether FAA authority:
H5N1 map showing cyberspace traffic to Russia, which is authorized for collection nether Transit authority:
Determining what traffic is unusual is done past times filtering based upon telephone province codes too cyberspace IP addresses. For telephony this is quite reliable, but especially for cyberspace traffic, the speaker's notes for some other NSA presentation acknowledge that it is hard to proof the foreigness. Therefore, it is occasionally discovered that i goal of an intercept is genuinely inward the US, which too so has to hold upwards reported every bit a "domestic incident".
Tapping points
One of the most interesting novel documents is an NSA presentation from 2010 almost the Corporate Partner Accesses, which has the map for the FAIRVIEW programme alongside all the domestic dots, but this fourth dimension alongside the explaining legend:
From the legend inward combination alongside the dots on the map, nosotros acquire that nether the FAIRVIEW program, NSA at that fourth dimension had access points at the next parts of the AT&T network:
- Peering Link Router Complexes (8)
- VoIP Router Complexes (26, planned: 0)
- Hub VoIP Router Complex (1, planned: 30)
- Program Cable Stations (9, planned: 7)
- Non-Program Cable Stations (0)
- RIMROCK 4ESS Circuit Switches (16)
- Program Processing Site (1)
One of import affair is that most of the markers within the US arrive at non stand upwards for traditional cable tapping points similar those along the borders, but are electrical current too planned accesses to Voice over IP communications. Here's some explanation almost the other types of access points too:
Peering Link Router Complex
NSA has 8 access points at AT&T Peering Link Router Complexes. According to Pro Publica they correspond to AT&T's Service Node Routing Complexes (SNRCs), where other communication providers connect to the AT&T backbone through OC-192 too 10GE fiber-optic cables. For NSA, this way they tin ship away choose deal of traffic from those other providers too. This backbone access is codenamed SAGURA or SAGUARO. The 8 facilities are in:
It was this variety of access dot that was/is inward Room 641A inward San Francisco, every bit was exposed past times Mark Klein during a lawsuit inward 2006. Klein told that the equipment inward room 641a was installed early on 2003, which could fit the turning on of "a novel DNI (Digital Network Intelligence) collection capability" inward September of that year.
- Seattle
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles
- Dallas
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- New York City
- Washington DC
VoIP Router Complex
The largest issue of active access points, 26, are at VoIP Router complexes, which are patently used for routing phonation communications over IP networks, similar the internet. No novel accesses of this variety were plannend, but expansion seems to hold upwards inward the adjacent category:
Hub VoIP Router Complex
In the map from 2010 nosotros run across only i active access at a Hub VoIP Router Complex, which is somewhere close New York City (maybe inward Florham Park, NJ, where AT&T has a information warehouse too its laboratory?). Access to VoIP communications was clearly seen every bit something that needed expansion, every bit thirty locations are marked every bit a planned access point. Unfortunately, no documents have got yet been released almost this effort.
Map of the US cyberspace backbone network of AT&T inward 2009
(Source: AT&T brochure - Click to enlarge)
Program Cable Station
At the fourth dimension of the presentation, at that topographic point were ix AT&T cable stations alongside a tapping facility, too some other seven for which that was planned. For an article on Pro Publica, it was found out that ix of these active too planned stations inward the continental US correspond to cable landing stations owned past times AT&T.
There are also 2 active too 5 planned accesses at cable landing points which are in all probability located inward Hawaii too Puerto Rico. Some of the active facilities are in:
- Nedonna Beach, Oregon
- Point Arena, California
- San Luis Obispo, California
- Tuckerton, New Yersey
- West Palm Beach, Florida
RIMROCK 4ESS Circuit Switch
These facilities refer to a 4ESS switch, which is used for long-distance telephone switching. Approximately 100 of these switches are operated past times AT&T, but according to the map, only sixteen of them have got a tapping facility codenamed TOPROCK. Except for two, they are situated along the US border, so seem to hold upwards for collecting (the metadata of) in- too outgoing telephone calls. These sites appear to hold upwards inward or near:
- Seattle
- Spokane
- Sacramento
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- Albuquerque
- San Antonio
- Lansing
- Atlanta
- Pittsburgh
- Buffalo
- Kingston
- Hartford (2)
- New York City (2)
Program Processing Site
Finally, there's i centralized Program Processing Site, which is codenamed PINECONE. The map indicates that it's situated somewhere close the AT&T cable landing station of Tuckerton inward New Jersey.
The AT&T intercontinental cable landing station inward Tuckerton, New Jersey,
which got a faux facade when residences were create around it.
(Photo: Bing maps - Click to enlarge)
Dataflow
Seen for the start fourth dimension is an NSA presentation from 2012 alongside 5 diagrams showing the dataflow for the diverse collection methods nether the FAIRVIEW program. There are diagrams for:
- Transit cyberspace content (US-990)
- Transit cyberspace metadata (US-990)
- Transit telephony metadata too SMS (US-990)
- FISA email content (US-984T)
- FISA cyberspace content (US-984T)
Update: More dataflow diagrams were published inward Nov 2016
There are no diagrams for FAIRVIEW collection nether the potency of department 702 FAA.
Dataflow for cyberspace content collected nether the
FAIRVIEW programme nether Transit Authority
(Click to enlarge)
These diagrams demo that processing the information from tha diverse collection points takes places inward 3 dissimilar stages at 3 dissimilar locations:
1. Access too processing at the partner company
2. Site processing inward a key secure facility
3. Processing too storage at NSA headquarters
Here's a description of what roughly happens during these 3 stages:
1. Access too processing at the partner company
In the start stage, AT&T provides access to cyberspace too telephone cables too does some filtering too processing correct at the diverse tapping points:
- For the internet collection, nosotros run across that the traffic is dissever at the switches where AT&T's ain accesses, every bit good every bit peering partner's cables connect to the AT&T Common Back Bone (CBB).
This duplicated traffic goes to i or to a greater extent than routers, where "Foreign IP Filtering" takes house to select unusual too discard domestic traffic. The remaining information current is too so sent over to the key processing facility of the minute stage, in all probability over OC-48 links of 2,4 Gbit/s. The same happens alongside traffic from other cable access points codenamed MESA.
It was this variety of installation that Mark Klein discovered inward Room 641A inward the SBC edifice inward San Francisco inward 2006. Many people assumed that inward this way, NSA was able to shop everything that runs over those cables, including American's communications, but at nowadays nosotros know that filters ensure that only unusual traffic is sorted out for farther processing.
Update:
Klein also testified that inward room 641A at that topographic point was equipment from Narus, which tin ship away hold upwards used to sessionize too filter information streams, but this is non seen inward the diagrams. Maybe, after the exposure of room 641A, NSA moved that variety of equipment from the actual AT&T tapping points to the centralized processing facility codenamed PINECONE.
According to an NSA glossary, at that topographic point are tens of thousands access links to the AT&T Common BackBone, which "would brand 100% coverage prohibitively expensive". Therefore, NSA's Operations too Discovery Division (ODD) worked alongside AT&T to rank the access routers, too (only?) 8 router uplinks were deemed of high SIGINT involvement too afterwards nominated for monitoring.
- Telephone metadata nether Transit Authority are collected from Foreign Gateway Switches too "ATPs", past times a "CNI [Calling Number Identification] & Call Processor" inward facilities codenamed TOPROCK. These metadata are also sent over to the key processing facility of the minute stage.
One of the doors to room 641A inward the edifice of AT&T inward San Francisco,
where there's an access dot to the AT&T Common BackBone
2. Site processing inward a key secure facility
The minute phase comprises processing which takes house at a key location, inward a highly secured building, a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), which for the FAIRVIEW programme is codenamed PINECONE. The equipment at that topographic point is partly controlled past times the partner fellowship too partly past times NSA.
Processing information from the many tapping points nether the FAIRVIEW programme at i key facility is only possible when already large amounts have got discarded during the start stage. The remaining information current is in all probability sent (unencrypted) to PINECONE over dedicated links within the AT&T network.
- Internet data acquire inward at IP Routers (IPRs) too via IP Processors (IPPs) buy the farm to an "Information Media Manager Distribution Box". Internet metadata too so buy the farm straight to MAILORDER. This device sends them to NSA headquarters (NSA-W), where they are received past times some other MAILORDER box.
Until now, MAILORDER was known every bit a tool for transferring data, but at nowadays it becomes clear that MAILORDER is also the device that encrypts the information so they tin ship away hold upwards transmitted safely from the PINECONE facility to NSA headquarters.
Before going to MAILORDER, cyberspace content has to travel past times some other box codenamed COURIERSKILL/CLEARSIGHT. This device also gets an input from the CADENCE tasking tool at NSA headquarters: the selectors for filtering.
Therefore, COURIERSKILL/CLEARSIGHT is the device that sorts out the communications that check the email addresses too other identifiers every bit requested past times NSA analysts. For email collection nether FISA authority, this filtering is done (directly) past times XKEYSCORE.
After passing GATEKEEP, which could hold upwards some variety of access command system, the filtered cyberspace content of involvement goes to MAILORDER to hold upwards sent over to Fort Meade.
- Telephone metadata too SMS messages also travel past times an "Information Media Manager Distribution Box", which is connected to an unknown device marked NGTPD. Via MAILORDER, these information also are sent over to NSA headquarters.
3. Processing too storage at NSA headquarters
In the 3rd too terminal stage, which is at NSA headquarters, the information from the key processing facility PINECONE acquire inward at a MAILORDER box, which is on the FAIRVIEW Local Area Network (LAN) codenamed HIGHDECIBEL.
From this LAN, the information are sent to NSA's pith corporate network, in i lawsuit again via secure MAILORDER transmission, to hold upwards stored inward the diverse too meanwhile well-known databases, similar PINWALE, MAINWAY, MARINA, FASCIA too DISHFIRE.
- Internet content start passes FISHWAY, which is a "Data Batching & Distribution System", too and so SCISSORS. The latter was start seen inward the earliest PRISM slides, too is a "Data Scanning, Formatting & Distribution System", every bit nosotros acquire from this diagram.
Raw cyberspace content too e-mails collected nether FISA potency are stored inward the RAGTIME partition of the PINWALE database too are classified every bit TOP SECRET//SI-ECI RGT//REL [...].
- Internet metadata start travel past times FALLOUT, which is an cyberspace metadata ingest processor/database, piece telephone metadata too SMS buy the farm to FASCIA, which has the same business office for this type of data.
Overview of the numbers of information collected nether the FAIRVIEW program
(Click to enlarge)
According to i of the newly disclosed NSA documents, the cyberspace access nether the FAIRVIEW programme was initially used only for collecting email messages. In 2003, this resulted inward to a greater extent than than i meg e-mails a solar daytime beingness forwarded to the keyword choice organisation at NSA headquarters.
This issue had risen to 5 meg a solar daytime inward 2012, which remained after applying some variety of "3 Swing Algorithm" to sixty meg foreign-to-foreign email messages that were captured past times FAIRVIEW every solar daytime nether Transit Authority - according to the speaker's notes for an NSA presentation from 2012.
Again nosotros run across a huge amount of information passing (which inward de documents is called "captured" by) the FAIRVIEW tapping points, but that filters only select a minor component which is too so forwarded to the NSA for farther selection. The 5 meg email messages a solar daytime inward 2012 made 150 meg a calendar month too 1,8 billion a year.
BOUNDLESSINFORMANT
The most recent numbers of the information collected nether FAIRVIEW tin ship away hold upwards derived from a nautical chart from the NSA's BOUNDLESSINFORMANT tool, which was published inward May 2014 every bit component of Glenn Greenwald's volume No Place to Hide:
During the i calendar month flow betwixt Dec 10, 2012 too Jan 8, 2013, just 6.142.932.557 metadata records were counted for collection nether Transit Authority, which for the FAIRVIEW programme is denoted past times the SIGAD US-990.
This way the numbers for FAIRVIEW collection nether FISA too department 702 FAA potency are non included inward this chart. But inward those cases, only communications related to specific email addresses or similar identifiers are collected, which results inward far smaller numbers: according to a 2011 FISA Court ruling (pdf), Upstream collection nether department 702 FAA resulted inward but 22 meg "internet communications" each year.
The over half dozen billion records for FAIRVIEW work organisation human relationship for only 3,75% of the total number of information the NSA collects through its cable tapping programs, which is remarkably minor given the large issue of access points at major cyberspace cables too switches.
Tech details
In the lower part, the pie nautical chart shows that nether Transit Authority, roughly the next issue of records were counted for FAIRVIEW:
- 87% or 5,3 billion: Personal Communications Services (PCS, prison theatre cellphone phone, etc)
- 2% or 122 million: Mobile communications-over-IP (MOIP)
- 8% or 488 million: Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
- 3% or 183 million: Internet communications (DNI)
As reflected past times the bar chart, the overwhelming bulk of information come upwards from foreign-to-foreign telephone communications, generally from prison theatre cellphone phones. Because there's no dataflow diagram for the content of telephone calls, it's possible that this is only telephone metadata too SMS messages.
Only almost 3% comes from foreign-to-foreign email messages, for which some 183 meg metadata records were counted. This issue comes unopen to the roughly 150 meg e-mails a calendar month that were processed inward 2012, which could betoken that i metadata tape equals i email message.
The technology scientific discipline used to procedure 97% of these information is called FAIRVIEWCOTS, which could hold upwards a combination of the program's codename too the abbreviation COTS, which stands for Commercial-Of-The-Shelf equipment. Only nearly 3%, so in all probability the email traffic, is processed past times a hitherto unknown organisation codenamed KEELSON. Finally, a tiny issue also went through SCISSORS.
Product reports
After the information have got been collected too stored, analysts buy the farm through it, looking for useful intelligence information too pose that inward so-called production reports. H5N1 slide from a 2012 presentation almost SSO's Corporate Portfolio, shows the Top Ten programs based upon the production reports that were prepaired during the financial twelvemonth 2010-2011:
We run across that alongside 7357 production reports, US-990, which is FAIRVIEW collection nether Transit Authority, ranks every bit the minute most productive source. However, 4 times to a greater extent than reports came from collection nether department 702 FAA, which is non only derived from PRISM, but also from the STORMBREW too FAIRVIEW programs.
Although below the programme ranking first, at that topographic point are non real large differences inward the numbers of reports, the nautical chart silent shows how focused FAIRVIEW collection must be: the 3,75% of the information it pulls in, is patently so useful that it results inward a large issue of production reports.
From a dissimilar presentation, nosotros have got a similar diagram alongside the numbers for the financial twelvemonth 2009-2010:
Cooperation
The direct relationship alongside the telecoms.
This leaves the choice that the FBI (just like the DEA too the CIA) is also a so-called client of the program, important that the Bureau tin ship away asking the collection of for certain target's communications too access some of the information that NSA collected nether FAIRVIEW.
Domestic metadata
The newly disclosed documents almost FAIRVIEW also render some novel details almost the mass collection of domestic metadata, which is considered to hold upwards i of the most controversial activities of the NSA. Somewhat unexpected is that for AT&T this happens nether FAIRVIEW, instead of a separate program.
Internet metadata
An NSA document from 2003 seems to hold upwards almost mass cyberspace data. It says that FAIRVIEW also collected "metadata, or information almost the network too the communications it carries" too that for September 2003 alone, "FAIRVIEW captured several trillion metadata records - of which to a greater extent than than 400 billion were selected for processing or storage".
This doesn't genuinely audio similar AT&T handed over mass metadata indiscriminately, but it would fit how it's described inward the 2009 STELLARWIND-report (in which, according to Pro Publica, AT&T is mentioned every bit "Company A") almost the collection efforts nether the President's Surveillance Program (PSP):
"In social club to hold upwards a candidate for PSP IP metadata collection, information links were start vetted to ensure that the preponderance of communications was from unusual sources, too that at that topographic point was a high probability of collecting al Qaeda (and affiliate) communications. NSA took non bad aid to ensure that metadata was produced against foreign, non domestic, communications"
It seems that at that time, AT&T did manus over massive amounts of cyberspace metadata from its domestic infrastructure, but also made for certain these were non almost American communications.
Update:
The "internet dragnet", that is, the mass collection of cyberspace metadata of domestic communications nether the potency of department 402 FISA (at NSA called PR/TT) was start approved past times the FISA Court on July 14, 2004. That means, the 400 billion metadata collected nether FAIRVIEW inward 2003 were non yet component of the PR/TT mass collection, too accordingly non domestic.
It is silent remarkable that AT&T was able to frontwards 400 billion metadata records a calendar month but from its unusual communications: inward 2012, the total number of cyberspace metadata that NSA collected worldwide was "just" 312 billion a month.
The 2003 document says these metadata were flowing to MAINWAY, which appears to hold upwards non only for telephone records, but "NSA's primary tool for conducting metadata analysis" inward general.* One of the dataflow diagrams also shows that cyberspace metadata start flow into MAINWAY, too from at that topographic point to MARINA, which is the repository for cyberspace metadata:
Dataflow for cyberspace metadata collected nether the
FAIRVIEW programme nether Transit Authority
(Click to enlarge)
Telephone metadata
About mass telephone metadata there's an NSA document from 2011. It says that every bit of September 2011, FAIRVIEW began handing over "1.1 billion cellular records a solar daytime inward add-on to the 700M records delivered currently" nether the Business Record (BR) FISA authorization, which refers to department 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.
It was already known that the major US telecoms handed over their metadata records of landline telephone calls, but hither nosotros run across that AT&T also started doing so for prison theatre cellphone telephone calls.
And for the real start fourth dimension nosotros also have got some numbers now: the full of 1,8 billion a solar daytime provided past times AT&T brand 54 billion a calendar month too almost 650 billion telephone records a year. For comparison, inward 2012, NSA's regular unusual collection resulted inward a total number of 135 billion telephone records a calendar month too 1,6 trillion a year.
The mobile telephone metadata provided past times AT&T were fed into the MAINWAY database to hold upwards used for contact chaining inward social club to "detect previously unknown terrorist threats inward the United States". Before these records were handed over to NSA, AT&T stripped off the location data, to comply alongside the FISA Court orders, that don't allow those information to hold upwards collected.
Apparently Verizon Wireless too T-Mobile US don't strip off these location data, so their prison theatre cellphone telephone records cannot hold upwards handed over to NSA, which thus only gets less than 30% of the domestic telephone metadata.
Conclusion
The reports past times Pro Publica too The New York Times stress AT&T's "extreme willingness to help" the NSA, which some people consider bad too scary. But perhaps this real unopen cooperation helps to brand information collection every bit targeted too focused every bit possible. Apart from the domestic metadata collection nether BR-FISA, the relatively minor numbers of information collected nether the FAIRVIEW program, appear to incorporate a lot of valuable unusual intelligence information.
The fearfulness was that nether FAIRVIEW, large numbers of American's communications were sucked upwards past times the NSA. However, the documents too diagrams demo that at that topographic point are filter systems that for collection nether Transit Authority only allow foreign-to-foreign communications through. Collection nether department 702 FAA is already almost unusual targets exterior the US, piece nether FISA potency there's an individualized FISA Court order.
Interesting questions that stay are almost the business office of the speedily growing issue of VoIP collection points, every bit good every bit almost the range of the cyber safety effort, too how inward these fields, NSA tries to protect the rights of American citizens.
Update:
On June 25, 2018, the website The Intercept published a NSA's Partnership alongside AT&T
- Matthew Green: The network is hostile
- EmptyWheel.net: What’s a Little (or a Lot) Cooperation Among Spies?
- EmptyWheel.net: AT&T Pulled Cell Location for Its “Mobility Cell Data”
- Wired.com: AT&T Whistle-Blower's Evidence
- Atlantic-cable.com: History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications
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