NSAs Surveillance Program - PRISMA-18 Jagruti KharatA-19 Nikhil KumbharA-35 Omkar WarekarB-18 Sneha Panicker

Key Parties The United States Government National Security Agency (NSA)U.S Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)Tech companies (Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc)

Major Acts Protect America Act, 2007Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 2008

What is PRISM?Anti-terrorism mass surveillanceData Mining Programme

Special Source Operation tool

Collects private user data from companies Like Google, Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo, etc)

Launched in 2007 by NSA alongwith the British Agency, GCHQ (Government Communication Headquarters)

Officially known as SIGAD US-984XN

Enabled under President Bush by the Protect America Act.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provides protection to the private companies from legal action when they co-operate with the U.S Government agenices in intelligence collection

How does PRISM work?U.S Worlds Telecommunication Backbone

Allows NSA to request data on specific people from major technology companies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft and others.

A targets phone call, email, chat or any other means of communication is collected and monitored.

Current Providers Format of Collected data

PRISM Programme costs $20 million per year!

Why is PRISM a big deal? PRISM was publicly revealed Classified documents about the Program were leaked to journalists of The Washington Post and The Guardianby Edward Snowden.

Was an NSA contractor , worked with CIA & Booz Allen Hamilton

Leaked documents included 41 Powerpoint slides which identified several technology companies as participants in the program

Snowden stated that the program provided intelligence agencies with opportunities to access all kinds of data in other countries such as hospitals, universities & private businesses.

NSA accused of engaging in dangerous & criminal activities

NSA revealed to be accessing data unilaterally, power to enter and get results for anything they want.

Unintentionally collecting data of U.S citizens while collecting data of suspicious communications of targets

Analysts allowed to search and listen to communications of Americans and other people without court approval

Can listen to telephone calls, access emails, browsing histories, MS Word Documents, etc.

Analysts hiding such accidental collection of information from the Government

Denials from technology companies (claims of data interception through communication cables)

Self-defensive Government claims(Anti- terrorism)

Snowden Files

Snowden stated, I dont want to live in a society that does these sort of things, motivated by civic duty

Revealed himself 3 days after PRISM reports were published

Left U.S to avoid capture, taking refuge in Hong Kong

Later fled Hong Kong for Moscow and has requested asylum in Ecuador and Russia