New details have emerged on ties between U.S. intelligence and the nation’s largest technology firms.

The New York Times reports the online communications giant Skype created a secret program to explore ways of providing the government with easy access to customers’ information. Dubbed "Project Chess," the program was established to navigate the legal and technical obstacles to enabling government monitoring of Skype calls and chats.

In another new development, the New York Times has also revealed the former chief security officer for Facebook, Max Kelly, has been working for the National Security Agency since leaving Facebook in 2010.