(Updated: Jan 3, 2014)
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 previous article on this website showed that the charts inward the NSA's BOUNDLESSINFORMANT tool are non thus tardily to translate every bit it may seem. Screenshots from this tool were published past times a issue of European newspapers maxim that they are proving that NSA is intercepting phonecalls from these countries. This article volition present as well as examine a novel ikon which literally provides context to these screenshots.
In a less known follow-up article from Nov 4 on the website of the spanish paper El Mundo at that spot are 4 slides from a powerpoint presentation virtually BOUNDLESSINFORMANT. Three of the slides were published earlier, but the 4th i was never shown before. This novel slide shows a screenshot of an Internet Explorer browser window amongst the BOUNDLESSINFORMANT tool inward it:
For the get-go time, this screenshot reveals what the actual BOUNDLESSINFORMANT interface looks like. It shows that the bar charts as well as the details below it, every bit published past times the newspapers, appear inward a pop-up window inward a higher house the Blue Planet map of the global overview.
The global overview window
The presentation slide shows that the primary hide of this tool is the global overview, which was initially published past times The Guardian inward June as well as after past times another media too. Here's a high resolution version of this hide (click for a bigger version):
On the left side nosotros encounter the overall numbers for DNI (internet), DNR (telephony), SIGADs, Case Notations as well as Processing Systems for the concluding thirty days. This fourth dimension menstruation tin live on changed, belike past times using the slide push underneath this list, side past times side to the nighttime greyish box. It seems that thirty days is its maximum. In the slide screenshot this fourth dimension menstruation is 7 days, which tin live on seen inward the pop-up window as well as explains the smaller numbers inward the listing at the left side of the map.
The lower role of the hide shows a Top 5 of countries as well as their total numbers of DNI as well as DNR records. These total amounts of information tin live on sorted inward 3 different ways: Aggregate, DNI as well as DNR, which tin live on selected amongst the radio buttons inward a higher house the map. Each choice results inward a slightly different tiptop 5 of countries, which is also reflected inward the colors of the oestrus map. These three versions were published past times the Indian paper The Hindu concluding September.
Next to these radio buttons is a search box amongst a push named "Country View", which is perchance for entering a province name. Finally, at that spot are ii buttons inward the upper correct corner to switch betwixt the ii primary viewing modes of this tool:
- The Map View, which "allows users to choose a province on a map as well as stance the metadata book as well as choose details virtually the collection against that country".
- The Org View, which "allows users to stance high degree metrics past times organization [NSA divisions] as well as and thus drill downward to a to a greater extent than actionable degree - downward to the programme as well as embrace term".
The Map View pop-up window
In the Map View, users tin click on a province from the Blue Planet map as well as and thus a pop-up window appears. According to the BOUNDLESSINFORMANT FAQ paper this window shows "the collection posture (record counts, type of collection, as well as contributing SIGADS or sites) against that special province inward add-on to providing a graphical display of tape count trends". These elements are inward the screenshot of this window:
Unfortunately the resolution of the slide is likewise depression to brand everything readably, but notwithstanding nosotros tin encounter that inward this hide there's a lot to a greater extent than than inward the images which were published past times the diverse newspapers. For comparison, here's the screenshot that was shown inward Norwegian media (click for a bigger version):
Comparing these ii screenshots bring out that the images shown inward the papers are only a role of the actual pop-up window. We recognize the 4 sections amongst the different charts, but at that spot are also about nipper differences. The slightly different layout may bring been caused past times the different fourth dimension period: thirty days gives inward a much wider bar nautical chart than 7 days.
Apart from that, nosotros encounter that inward the screenshots from the newspapers the whole frame is missing. The illustration from the presentation has "SIGAD" amongst a symbol side past times side to it inward the upper left corner, but nosotros don't know if that's standard, or that it indicates a specific stance mode.
Below this are a search box as well as a scroll box amongst a relatively long listing of options - unfortunately impossible to read, but it's non a listing of SIGADs. The display department has ii tabs, the active i white, the other i black, indicating that at that spot are patently ii primary options for presenting the information.
Left of the bar nautical chart there's a department that could live on titled "Active Summary" as well as seems to comprise symbols as well as headers real similar to those below the bar chart. Probably i tin choose different kinds of details virtually the information collection to live on shown. The images from the papers bring "Top 5 Techs" inward the lower department at the correct side, but inward the pop-up illustration something different is shown, ineligble again.
Another small-scale deviation is inward the "Signal Profile" section: the pop-up hide shows 4 different types of communication systems (maybe DNI, DNR as well as ii others), but the screenshots from the papers bring seven. As the presentation is from July 2012 as well as the images inward the papers are from early on 2013, perchance during that menstruation to a greater extent than options were added to the tool.
Screenshot from a Brazilian television receiver report, showing about files opened inward a TrueCrypt window on the laptop of Glenn Greenwald. In the upper left corner nosotros encounter an unpublished screenshot from BOUNDLESSINFORMANT amongst 3 bar nautical chart sections, patently virtually Computer
Network Exploitation (CNE), which is estimator hacking past times the TAO division
(click to enlarge)
Multiple options
All this shows that inward the Map View lonely at that spot are to a greater extent than options to choose than only clicking a province as well as getting i measure overview of NSA's collection against that province - that's how Glenn Greenwald as well as the newspapers brought it.
The fact that at that spot are to a greater extent than ways to choose as well as introduce the information already became clear past times analysing the screenshots published past times the papers. For at to the lowest degree 5 countries (France, Spain, Norway, Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan as well as Italy) the charts exclusively present i technique, DRTBOX.
If NSA actually spies on these countries, it's unlikely they utilisation exclusively i scheme as well as collect exclusively telephone (meta)data. Therefore, it seems to a greater extent than every bit if inward this instance DRTBOX was used every bit the primary selector, resulting inward charts showing how many information this scheme processed from different SIGADs as well as different countries.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 to a greater extent than consummate overview of information collection against a province is given past times the screenshot for Germany, which shows multiple systems collecting both cyberspace as well as telephone data. Also interesting to encounter is that at that spot are non exclusively such charts virtually countries, but also virtually collection programs similar WINDSTOP (which could live on from the 'Org View' mode).
Conclusion
Now that nosotros bring a pic of the consummate BOUNDLESSINFORMANT interface, we've seen that this tool has many options to introduce information virtually NSA's (meta)data collection.
The screenshots published inward diverse European newspapers were cutting out from their master pop-up windows, which makes that nosotros are missing their context. We can't encounter what options at that spot were as well as which selections were made to introduce the information every bit nosotros encounter it.
We don't know who cutting out the charts: was it Edward Snowden, or somebody else at NSA (for preparing a presentation), or was it Glenn Greenwald? These questions are of about importance, because these screenshots are used every bit bear witness for rather grave accusations.
Until now, neither Glenn Greenwald, nor editors of about of the involved newspapers were willing to answer whatever questions virtually the origins of these screenshots. Instead, Greenwald notwithstanding sticks to his ain initial interpretation as well as lets papers position out that over as well as over.
Links as well as Sources
- The Guardian: BOUNDLESSINFORMANT - Frequently Asked Questions
- Wikipedia: Boundless Informant
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