NSAs Surveillance Program PRISM A-18 Jagruti Kharat

A-19
A-35
B-18

Nikhil Kumbhar
Omkar Warekar
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, 2007
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 2008

What is PRISM?
PRISM
Anti-terrorism mass surveillance
Data Mining Programme
Special Source Operation tool
Collects private user data from companies
Like Google, Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo, etc)
Launched in 2007 by NSA along
with 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
Collected data

Format of

Microsoft (Hotmail, etc)

Email

Google

Chat Video, Voice

Yahoo!

Videos

Facebook

Photos
Stored Data

PalTalk
Youtube
Skype
AOL
Apple

File Transfers
Video Conferencing
Notifications of targets activitieslogins, etc
Online Social Networking details
Special Requests

Micros
oft
(2007)

PalTal
k
(2009)

Yahoo
(2008)

Youtu
be
(2010)

Googl
e

Faceb
ook

(2009)

(2009)

Skype

Apple

(2011)

(2012)

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 Guardian
by 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(Antiterrorism)

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