(Updated: June 10, 2013)
Yesterday, Th June 6, The Washington Post as well as The Guardian came amongst a breaking intelligence story close a Top Secret NSA computer programme called PRISM, which reportedly collects information straight from the servers of nine major meshwork companies similar Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Skype as well as Apple.
Many of these firms receive got already denied that the authorities has access to their networks. Today both president Obama as well as manager of National Intelligence James Clapper said in that place is no gathering of information close US citizens or of whatever soul located within the United States.
> The latest information: What is known close NSA's PRISM program
The Guardian claimed to receive got obtained 41 slides of an NSA presentation close the PRISM collection program, as well as showed some of them on its website. But some unusual looking details caused a issue of people, peculiarly on Twitter, shout out upwards the slides mightiness move fake.
Here nosotros receive got a to a greater extent than unopen expect at these slides, which, if genuine, give a really rare expect at a recent Top Secret document from the US National Security Agency.
The strangest affair close the slides is in all probability the PRISM computer programme logo, which is shown at the peak right side of each slide. On the Guardian website this logo is also shown separately amongst an orangish background box - the same manner it appears on their slides. But every bit nosotros expect at the same slides on the website of The Washington Post, nosotros encounter that the orangish background has been cropped away.
This tin alone hateful that the logo was added somewhere afterwards, as well as hence wasn't business office of the master copy slide deck. On Twitter, it was also noticed, that the PRISM logo was made past times using a measure clipart image.
UPDATE:
One of the journalists of The Guardian explained on twitter, that these differences betwixt the slides are caused past times using dissimilar powerpoint readers (The Guardian using OpenOffice).
Details as well as explanation of the maiden of all PRISM slide
This does non automatically hateful the whole slide deck is fake, then let's receive got a closer expect at the balance of the slide contents:
- At the peak left as well as the bottom right corner of each slide nosotros encounter the standardized classification marker line, showing the classification grade as well as the dissemination command markings. In this illustration the slides are marked: TOP SECRET // SI // ORCON // NOFORN, which combines:
TOP SECRET - the classification level, pregnant that populace disclosure of the document would crusade 'exceptionally grave damage' to national security.
SI - Special Intelligence, formerly known every bit COMINT or COMmunications INTelligence, which way this document is business office of a command organisation for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
ORCON - ORiginator CONtrolled, pregnant the originator controls dissemination and/or liberate of the document. Therefore these are e'er viewed inwards secured areas that are cleared for top-secret information as well as 1 cannot persuasion or re-create such a document without leaving an audit trail.
NOFORN - NO FOReign Nationals, pregnant distribution to non-US citizens is prohibited, regardless of their clearance or access permissions.
- At the peak of each slide nosotros also encounter the logos of the meshwork companies involved inwards the PRISM program. The manner these logos are grouped at the peak of each slide looks non really professional, it distracts from the content as well as there's also no practiced argue for showing them on every slide. Therefore this business office is also seen every bit a typical photoshop work.
- Top left nosotros also encounter a seal amongst the words Special Source Operations, which is a subdivision of the NSA responsible for of import intelligence collection programs. This seal cannot move easily constitute elsewhere on the meshwork as well as looks good designed, then is most probable real.
- The championship of the presentation is: PRISM/US-984XN Overview or The SIGAD Used Most inwards NSA Reporting Overview. SIGAD is the abbreviation of SIGINT Activity Designator, which is a unique addresss for every signals intelligence collection station, ship, or method as well as consists of a province code followed past times alphanumeric characters. Thus the instant business office of the championship (The SIGAD Used Most inwards NSA Reporting) refers to the maiden of all part, where US-984XN is the SIGAD of the PRISM program.
- Underneath the championship there's a delineate which is partly (Guardian) or fully (Washington Post) blacked out. From what nosotros tin read, this delineate most probable started amongst the shout out of the soul beingness the PRISM collection manager, followed past times a sort of service/department number. Understandably the shout out has been blacked out because of privacy as well as safety reasons, as well as the American paper fifty-fifty blacked out the rest.
- Finally, at the bottom right nosotros encounter a cerise bordered box amongst 3 lines:
Derived from: NSA/CSSM 1-52 - pregnant this was derived from the NSA/CSS Manual 1-52 close Classified National Security Information, which describes additional responsabilities of holders of NSA/CSS protected information.
Dated: 20070108 - pregnant the presentation was derivative of run dated Jan 8, 2007, which appears to move the appointment of the NSA/CSS Manual 1-52.
Declassify On: 20360901 - pregnant the slide deck was meant to move declassified on September 1, 2036. In general, this has to move 25 years from the appointment of the document’s origin, which seems to betoken that this presentation was classified on September 1, 2011, allthough the maiden of all slide itself is dated Apr 2013.
After this unopen expect at the maiden of all slide of the PRISM presentation nosotros receive got seen that in that place are a few unusual elements, but also that most of the content looks realistic.
Another divergence betwixt the slides
Not alone there's a divergence betwixt the PRISM logo on the slides at the Guardian as well as the Washtington Post websites, but, every bit noticed at this website, also on the slide showing inwards which years the diverse meshwork companies were "added" to the program:
As nosotros tin encounter inwards the picture, the slide on the Guardian website shows a dissimilar light-green arrow underneath the yellowish circles than the Washington Post slide does. Both papers each seem to receive got some slightly dissimilar slides, which is quite unusual if they actually obtained a re-create of such a higly classified slide deck.
UPDATE:
One of the journalists of The Guardian explained on twitter, that these differences betwixt the slides are caused past times using dissimilar powerpoint readers (The Guardian using OpenOffice).
As the presentation concerns signals intelligence, it has to move handled either trough the highly secured JWICS network used past times the US intelligence community, or through NSAnet, which is the classified intranet of the NSA. It looks similar PRISM is related to NSAnet, every bit 1 of the slides says: "Complete listing as well as details on PRISM spider web page: Go PRISMFAA". Using a command similar this appears to move mutual practise for NSAnet.
As it is really hard as well as risky to larn the slides themselves out of NSA's control, it is of course of pedagogy far to a greater extent than slowly for someone who has seen the presentation, to tell a journalist what was inwards it. Then some graphic creative soul at the paper could receive got made these slides according to what was told to him. In this way, the differences betwixt the slides of both newspapers tin easily move explained past times an internal messing upwards of some dissimilar versions.
The story revised?
Meanwhile, the Washington Post (because they had rushed the publication?) had to walk dorsum a chip from its initial claims past times citing a instant classified study that identified PRISM every bit a computer programme to "allow ‘collection managers [to send] content tasking instructions straight to equipment installed at company-controlled locations,’ rather than straight to companionship servers."
Also the New York Times came amongst a story which says that each of the large meshwork companies negotiated amongst the authorities close handing out information. As far every bit this concerns non-US citizens, they are legally required to portion the information nether the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as well as inwards this manner these companies are providing intelligence agencies similar NSA amongst specific information inwards response to private courtroom orders.
These FISA orders tin arrive at from inquiries close specific people to a wide sweep for intelligence, similar logs of for sure search terms. Last twelvemonth in that place were 1856 of such FISA requests. In lodge to brand this to a greater extent than easy, some companies agreed amongst NSA to transmit these information electronically, using company’s servers or fifty-fifty authorities equipment at a companionship location. This even then is dissimilar from giving the NSA wholesale volume access to user data.
This version of the PRISM story was to a greater extent than or less confirmed past times Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper, who released a tilt amongst a fact sheet (PDF), which says "PRISM is non an undisclosed collection or information mining program. It is an internal authorities calculator organisation used to facilitate the government’s statutorily authorized collection of unusual intelligence information from electronic communication service providers nether courtroom supervision".
More close classification markings
Earlier on the eve of June 8, The Guardian published another slide, to clarify that PRISM, which involves information collection from servers, is distinct from iv dissimilar programs involving information collection from "fiber cables as well as infrastructure every bit information flows past".
This newest slide (shown left inwards the motion-picture demo above) seems to receive got an omission, which tin also move seen inwards some of the before slides: allthough they receive got the obligatory classification delineate (as described above), as well as the slide championship is marked amongst the then called portion marker (the (TS//SI//NF) which is an abbreviation of the total classification line), this portion marker is missing inwards the content.
As the DoD as well as intelligence community Classification Markings Manuals prescribe, all content of briefing slides, including bullets, captions, titles, as well as embedded graphs, charts as well as figures, receive got to move marked amongst portion markings at the outset of each portion (except when a waiver for the portion marker has been obtained). This because parts of a document classified every bit Top Secret tin receive got a lower classification grade or tin fifty-fifty move unclassified, which also clearly applies to some of the paragraphs of the slides.
Again, this omission lone does non hateful these slides are fake, it's also possible that the writer of the presentation was only somewhat lazy. At to the lowest degree inwards illustration of the slide titled "Introduction. U.S. every bit World's Telecommunications Backbone" the content is populace information, for which the overall Top Secret classification would clearly non move justified.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 right implementation of the portion marker tin move seen inwards some slides close the NSA's BOUNDLESSINFORMANT information mining tool, which were disclosed past times The Guardian on June 8. Here nosotros encounter the slides are marked every bit TOP SECRET // SI // NOFORN within an orangish bar, which is the color code for Top Secret, but amongst the split upwards text portions marked every bit (U//FOUO) every bit they are Unclassified // For Official Use Only:
With right markings as well as a to a greater extent than professional person look, these novel slides expect to a greater extent than credible than those of the PRISM presentation. As authorities agencies manifestly oft create bad looking presentations, this lone doesn't brand the PRISM slides fake, but nosotros e'er should move aware of things similar hoaxes, sensationalism as well as disinformation from whatever source, as well as at the same fourth dimension don't larn trapped into conspiracy theories.
Other PRISM programs
As in that place are silent questions close what just NSA's PRISM computer programme does, it became clear that in that place are also a issue of other intelligence as well as safety related programs called PRISM, which may crusade some confusion:
The journalist Matthew Keys discovered that inwards 2007 a classified Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) intelligence chore listing mentions "national intelligence community collection management systems" similar PRISM, COLISEUM as well as HOT-R. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 DIA chore listing from before this twelvemonth requires "Experience working inwards collection requirements management systems as well as procedures, to include PRISM, HOT-R, GIMS, NSRP, TORS, OSCR, COLISEUM, as well as CMST"
As this are DIA jobs, it seems even then that this PRISM organisation is dissimilar from the 1 of the NSA. At the Is PRISM just a not-so-secret spider web tool?
The existence of what looks similar a 3rd PRISM organisation was unveiled past times U.S., British intelligence mining information from nine U.S. Internet companies inwards wide cloak-and-dagger program
- The Guardian: NSA Prism computer programme taps inwards to user information of Apple, Google as well as others
- Business Insider: Is The Claim That The Government Has Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Direction Connection To Tech Companies Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Lie?
- Forbes: Tech Companies, Bristling, Concede to Federal Surveillance Program
- ABC News: 4 Unanswered Questions About NSA Leaks
- The 2011 Intelligence Community Classification as well as Control Markings Implementation Manual (PDF)
- The 2012 DoD Marking of Classified Information Manual (PDF)
- ZDNet: The existent story inwards the NSA scandal is the collapse of journalism
- The Week: Solving the mystery of PRISM
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