The NSA is mining user data directly from tech giants. (illustration: Wired)
07 June 13
- Top secret PRISM program claims direct access to servers of firms including Google, Facebook and Apple
- Companies deny any knowledge of program in operation since 2007
he
National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of
Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants, according to a top
secret document obtained by the Guardian.
The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed
program called PRISM, which allows officials to collect material
including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live
chats, the document says.
The Guardian has verified the authenticity of the
document, a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation - classified as top secret
with no distribution to foreign allies - which was apparently used to
train intelligence operatives on the capabilities of the program. The
document claims "collection directly from the servers" of major US
service providers.
Although the presentation claims the program is run
with the assistance of the companies, all those who responded to a
Guardian request for comment on Thursday denied knowledge of any such
program.
In a statement, Google said: "Google cares deeply
about the security of our users' data. We disclose user data to
government in accordance with the law, and we review all such requests
carefully. From time to time, people allege that we have created a
government 'back door' into our systems, but Google does not have a back
door for the government to access private user data."
Several senior tech executives insisted that they had
no knowledge of PRISM or of any similar scheme. They said they would
never have been involved in such a program. "If they are doing this,
they are doing it without our knowledge," one said.
An Apple spokesman said it had "never heard" of PRISM.
The NSA access was enabled by changes to US
surveillance law introduced under President Bush and renewed under Obama
in December 2012.
The program facilitates extensive, in-depth
surveillance on live communications and stored information. The law
allows for the targeting of any customers of participating firms who
live outside the US, or those Americans whose communications include
people outside the US.
It also opens the possibility of communications made entirely within the US being collected without warrants.
Disclosure of the PRISM program follows a leak to the
Guardian on Wednesday of a top-secret court order compelling telecoms
provider Verizon to turn over the telephone records of millions of US
customers.
The participation of the internet companies in PRISM
will add to the debate, ignited by the Verizon revelation, about the
scale of surveillance by the intelligence services. Unlike the
collection of those call records, this surveillance can include the
content of communications and not just the metadata.
Some of the world's largest internet brands are
claimed to be part of the information-sharing program since its
introduction in 2007. Microsoft - which is currently running an
advertising campaign with the slogan "Your privacy is our priority" -
was the first, with collection beginning in December 2007.
It was followed by Yahoo in 2008; Google, Facebook and
PalTalk in 2009; YouTube in 2010; Skype and AOL in 2011; and finally
Apple, which joined the program in 2012. The program is continuing to
expand, with other providers due to come online.
Collectively, the companies cover the vast majority of online email, search, video and communications networks.
No comments:
Post a Comment