A new Guardian report explains a National Security Agency tool called XKeyScore collects ‘nearly everything a user does on the internet’. Training materials for XKeyScore says the tool gives NSA the ability to intercept and collect data on an individual’s online activity.
A “simple on-screen form” and a “broad justification for the search” is all that is needed for an analyst to mine the NSA databases
XKeyScore monitors email, chat messages, browsing history, and social media activity of a targeted individual
XKeyScore and other NSA systems intercept “real-time” internet activity
Snowden told the Guardian in June “I, sitting at my desk… could wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal email”. The NSA in a reply to The Guardian, said “NSA’s activities are focused and specifically deployed against – and only against – legitimate foreign intelligence targets.” It added: “Allegations of widespread, unchecked analyst access to NSA collection data are simply not true. Access to XKeyscore, as well as all of NSA’s analytic tools, is limited to only those personnel who require access for their assigned tasks.”
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