Special Source Operations
Special Source Operations (SSO) is a division in the US National Security Agency (NSA)[1] which is responsible for all programs aimed at collecting data from major fiber-optic cables and switches, both inside the US and abroad, and also through corporate partnerships.[2] Its existence was revealed through documents provided by Edward Snowden to media outlets in 2013 and, according to him, it is the "crown jewel" of the NSA.[3]
History
The program began in 2006, according to one of Snowden's documents, when the NSA was collecting the equivalent of "one Library of Congress every 14.4 seconds". The Washington Post described the official seal of the SSO division as something "that might have been parody: an eagle with all the world's cables in its grasp."[4]
Notable programs
The five biggest collection programs of the Special Source Operations division are codenamed:[5]
- DANCINGOASIS
- SPINNERET
- MOONLIGHTPATH
- INCENSER
- AZUREPHOENIX
Other known programs include:
- PRISM – front-door collection using Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders
- MUSCULAR – back-door collection from Google and Yahoo private clouds
- Upstream collection – which includes:
- FAIRVIEW
- BLARNEY
- STORMBREW
- OAKSTAR
See also
- Special Collection Service
- Tailored Access Operations
References
- ^ Greenwald, Glenn; MacAskill, Ewen; Poitras, Laura; Ackerman, Spencer; Rushe, Dominic (July 11, 2013). "How Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages". The Guardian. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ Gellman, Barton; Poitras, Laura (June 6, 2013). "US Intelligence Mining Data from Nine U.S. Internet Companies in Broad Secret Program". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ Greenwald, Glenn (2014). No Place to Hide. New York: Metropolitan Books. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-62779-161-8.
- ^ "Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission's accomplished" – The Washington Post, December 23, 2013.
- ^ Top Level Telecommunications, Some numbers about NSA's data collection, June 5, 2014
External links
- INCENSER, or how NSA and GCHQ are tapping internet cables
- NSA's largest cable tapping program: DANCINGOASIS
- v
- t
- e
- Alaska Mission Operations Center
- Colorado Cryptologic Center
- Consolidated Intelligence Center
- CSSG
- Dorsey Road
- European Cryptologic Center
- European Technical Center
- Fort Meade
- Friendship Annex
- Georgia Cryptologic Center
- Hawaii Cryptologic Center
- Interagency Training Center
- Kent Island
- Misawa Security Operations Center
- Multiprogram Research Facility
- Pine Gap
- RAF Menwith Hill
- Roaring Creek
- Room 641A
- Salt Creek
- Sugar Grove
- Texas Cryptologic Center
- Utah Data Center
- Pacific Technical Center
- CSS
- Information Warfare Support Center
- ROC
- Special Collection Service
- SSO
- TAO
- NTOC
- NSOC
- Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)
- Church Committee
- Edward Snowden
- LOVEINT
- James Bamford
- NSA warrantless surveillance controversy
- Pike Committee
- Russ Tice
- Thomas Andrews Drake
- Thomas Tamm
- Matthew Aid
- Boundless Informant
- Dropmire
- ECHELON
- Fairview
- Insider Threat Program
- MUSCULAR
- MYSTIC
- PRISM
- Real Time Regional Gateway
- Stellar Wind
- TRAILBLAZER
- Turbulence
- Upstream
- XKeyscore
- Epic Shelter