Jul 17, 2013
Testifying before the House judiciary committee, NSA deputy director John C. Inglis said that the agency's analysts can perform "a second or third hop query" through its massive store of telephone and internet records in order to find connections to terrorist organizations.
"Hops" are a technical term indicating connections between people, the Guardian's Spencer Ackerman explains. "A three-hop query means that the NSA can look at data not only from a suspected terrorist, but from everyone that suspect communicated with, and then from everyone those people communicated with, and then from everyone all of those people communicated with."
According to Inglis, this spying web is permitted under rules set by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, or FISA court. However, those justifications remain unknown due to the Department of Justice's insistence that, because of the classified content of their dealings, the court's interpretation of the law must also be kept secret.
Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and released by the Guardian previously exposed the practice of "contact chaining," or analyzing networks with two degrees of separation from the "target." Wednesday's hearing disclosures go another step further in revealing the true extent of the seemingly endless web of surveillance.
_____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Testifying before the House judiciary committee, NSA deputy director John C. Inglis said that the agency's analysts can perform "a second or third hop query" through its massive store of telephone and internet records in order to find connections to terrorist organizations.
"Hops" are a technical term indicating connections between people, the Guardian's Spencer Ackerman explains. "A three-hop query means that the NSA can look at data not only from a suspected terrorist, but from everyone that suspect communicated with, and then from everyone those people communicated with, and then from everyone all of those people communicated with."
According to Inglis, this spying web is permitted under rules set by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, or FISA court. However, those justifications remain unknown due to the Department of Justice's insistence that, because of the classified content of their dealings, the court's interpretation of the law must also be kept secret.
Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and released by the Guardian previously exposed the practice of "contact chaining," or analyzing networks with two degrees of separation from the "target." Wednesday's hearing disclosures go another step further in revealing the true extent of the seemingly endless web of surveillance.
_____________________
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Testifying before the House judiciary committee, NSA deputy director John C. Inglis said that the agency's analysts can perform "a second or third hop query" through its massive store of telephone and internet records in order to find connections to terrorist organizations.
"Hops" are a technical term indicating connections between people, the Guardian's Spencer Ackerman explains. "A three-hop query means that the NSA can look at data not only from a suspected terrorist, but from everyone that suspect communicated with, and then from everyone those people communicated with, and then from everyone all of those people communicated with."
According to Inglis, this spying web is permitted under rules set by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, or FISA court. However, those justifications remain unknown due to the Department of Justice's insistence that, because of the classified content of their dealings, the court's interpretation of the law must also be kept secret.
Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and released by the Guardian previously exposed the practice of "contact chaining," or analyzing networks with two degrees of separation from the "target." Wednesday's hearing disclosures go another step further in revealing the true extent of the seemingly endless web of surveillance.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.