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PRISM



The Washington Post

US government whistleblowers have leaked details of the secret US National Security Agency (NSA) program called PRISM—after the prisms used to split light, which is used to carry information on fiber-optic cables. The program grants the government access to the servers of Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple (more companies will be added in the future) and can collect e-mail, video and voice chat, photos, videos, stored data, video conferencing, social networking details, anything stored on the cloud—pretty much any information online.

The companies named are responding to requests for comment by flat-out denying awareness or involvement.

The top-secret program is authorized by federal judges working under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Members of Congress are defending the propgram and using Orwellian double-speak to redefine spying on Americans as protecting America.

A slide briefing analysts at the National Security Agency about the program touts its effectiveness and features the logos of the companies involved.



In the video above, reporter Barton Gellman talks about the source who revealed this top-secret information and how he believes his whistleblowing was worth whatever consequences are ahead.
 

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