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Special Source Operations

{{Short description|Division of the NSA}}

Special Source Operations (SSO) is a division in the US National Security Agency (NSA){{cite web|author1=Greenwald, Glenn|author-link=Glenn Greenwald|author2=MacAskill, Ewen |author3=Poitras, Laura |author4=Ackerman, Spencer |author5=Rushe, Dominic |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data |title=How Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages |work=The Guardian |date=July 11, 2013 |accessdate=July 12, 2013}} 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.{{cite web|author1=Gellman, Barton|author-link=Barton Gellman|author2=Poitras, Laura|author2-link=Laura Poitras|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data-from-nine-us-internet-companies-in-broad-secret-program/2013/06/06/3a0c0da8-cebf-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html |title=US Intelligence Mining Data from Nine U.S. Internet Companies in Broad Secret Program |work=The Washington Post |date=June 6, 2013 |accessdate=July 12, 2013}} 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.{{cite book|last1=Greenwald|first1=Glenn|title=No Place to Hide|date=2014|publisher=Metropolitan Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1-62779-161-8|page=102}}

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."[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/edward-snowden-after-months-of-nsa-revelations-says-his-missions-accomplished/2013/12/23/49fc36de-6c1c-11e3-a523-fe73f0ff6b8d_story.html "Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission's accomplished" – The Washington Post], December 23, 2013.

Notable programs

The five biggest collection programs of the Special Source Operations division are codenamed:Top Level Telecommunications, [http://electrospaces.blogspot.com/2014/06/some-numbers-about-nsas-data-collection.html Some numbers about NSA's data collection], June 5, 2014

  • DANCINGOASIS
  • SPINNERET
  • MOONLIGHTPATH
  • INCENSER
  • AZUREPHOENIX

Other known programs include:

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://electrospaces.blogspot.com/2014/11/incenser-or-how-nsa-and-gchq-are.html INCENSER, or how NSA and GCHQ are tapping internet cables]
  • [http://electrospaces.blogspot.com/2014/05/nsas-largest-cable-tapping-program.html NSA's largest cable tapping program: DANCINGOASIS]

{{National Security Agency}}

Category:National Security Agency