The X-Keyscore program, which has been revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden, is being called the "widest-reaching" intelligence system. July 31, 2013 8:36 AM PDT (Credit: The Guardian/Screenshot by CNET) The National Security Agency (NSA) has a secret program that allows it to see just about everything a person does on the Internet, according to a new report. NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who is still holed up in a Moscow airport, has reportedly leaked to The Guardian, new details on a high-powered, secret program run by the U.S. government, called X-Keyscore. The Guardian, which obtained the slides of a presentation the NSA reportedly gave to employees, claims that the program is the "widest-reaching" intelligence system. According to Snowden's files on X-Keyscore, NSA employees can with just a few clicks, obtain everything from phone numbers to e-mail addresses. The company can also see e-mail content, full Internet activity, browser history, and an IP address. According to the files and Snowden, the NSA can essentially see everything a person is doing on the Internet without the need for a warrant. Related stories Feds declassify more details on NSA's phone snooping Feds tell Web firms to turn over user account passwords House narrowly rejects bid to curb NSA domestic surveillance Snowden reportedly allowed to leave airport Feds put heat on Web firms for master encryption keys Debate rages over whether such information is accessible and is being used in any negative ways by the U.S. government. Lawmakers have argued that accessing data is only possible when a warrant is obtained, and the government consistently follows that protocol. Other lawmakers have argued that obtaining all of that information isn't even possible. Despite the vast amounts of data the NSA can reportedly access, it doesn't appear that it's being used for any American citizens living within the U.S. The NSA documents, in fact, show that as of 2008, the X-Keyscore platform was used to nab 300 alleged terrorists around the world. Another describes how alleged terrorists can access forums and determine identities. Edward Snowden has quickly become a thorn in the side of the U.S. government. For his first leaks, he's being charged with espionage and has had his U.S. passport revoked. His currently holed up in a Moscow airport awaiting a decision by the Russian government on whether it'll offer him temporary asylum. If so, he'll be able to safely reach any number of South American countries that have offered him full asylum. The U.S. government, meanwhile, has dealt with the fallout from his leaks, and has been criticized by foreign governments for its alleged intelligence programs. If the latest reports are true, the NSA could again come under fire from those critics. Still, with the sheer amount of data available, it's not easy for user information to be stored for long, according to the Guardian. The leaked documents suggest that each day, between 1 billion and 2 billion records are added, requiring the NSA to free up space. The actual content is only available for between three and five days, and metadata is kept for 30 days, according to the documents. To solve that issue, the NSA has created other databases that "interesting" information can be offloaded to for safekeeping, according to the report. It's not clear exactly what information is offloaded, but it could be quite a bit -- last year, over a 30-day period, 41 billion records were collected and stored in X-Keyscore.
The X-Keyscore program, which has been revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden, is being called the "widest-reaching" intelligence system.
(Credit: The Guardian/Screenshot by CNET)
The National Security Agency (NSA) has a secret program that allows it to see just about everything a person does on the Internet, according to a new report.
NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who is still holed up in a Moscow airport, has reportedly leaked to The Guardian, new details on a high-powered, secret program run by the U.S. government, called X-Keyscore. The Guardian, which obtained the slides of a presentation the NSA reportedly gave to employees, claims that the program is the "widest-reaching" intelligence system.
According to Snowden's files on X-Keyscore, NSA employees can with just a few clicks, obtain everything from phone numbers to e-mail addresses. The company can also see e-mail content, full Internet activity, browser history, and an IP address. According to the files and Snowden, the NSA can essentially see everything a person is doing on the Internet without the need for a warrant.
Related stories
- Feds declassify more details on NSA's phone snooping
- Feds tell Web firms to turn over user account passwords
- House narrowly rejects bid to curb NSA domestic surveillance
- Snowden reportedly allowed to leave airport
- Feds put heat on Web firms for master encryption keys
Debate rages over whether such information is accessible and is being used in any negative ways by the U.S. government. Lawmakers have argued that accessing data is only possible when a warrant is obtained, and the government consistently follows that protocol. Other lawmakers have argued that obtaining all of that information isn't even possible.
Despite the vast amounts of data the NSA can reportedly access, it doesn't appear that it's being used for any American citizens living within the U.S. The NSA documents, in fact, show that as of 2008, the X-Keyscore platform was used to nab 300 alleged terrorists around the world. Another describes how alleged terrorists can access forums and determine identities.
Edward Snowden has quickly become a thorn in the side of the U.S. government. For his first leaks, he's being charged with espionage and has had his U.S. passport revoked. His currently holed up in a Moscow airport awaiting a decision by the Russian government on whether it'll offer him temporary asylum. If so, he'll be able to safely reach any number of South American countries that have offered him full asylum.
The U.S. government, meanwhile, has dealt with the fallout from his leaks, and has been criticized by foreign governments for its alleged intelligence programs. If the latest reports are true, the NSA could again come under fire from those critics.
Still, with the sheer amount of data available, it's not easy for user information to be stored for long, according to the Guardian. The leaked documents suggest that each day, between 1 billion and 2 billion records are added, requiring the NSA to free up space. The actual content is only available for between three and five days, and metadata is kept for 30 days, according to the documents.
To solve that issue, the NSA has created other databases that "interesting" information can be offloaded to for safekeeping, according to the report. It's not clear exactly what information is offloaded, but it could be quite a bit -- last year, over a 30-day period, 41 billion records were collected and stored in X-Keyscore.
