Purpose: XKEYSCORE is an NSA search and analysis system for data collected by other surveillance programmes. The system is described by Snowden as a search engine that provides a “one-stop shop” for access to content, metadata and real-time tracking and monitoring of user activities (COU01). Access to XKEYSCORE is shared…
Purpose: OPTIC NERVE is a GCHQ programme that collects still images of Yahoo webcam chats in bulk and saves them to agency databases, whether or not an individual is an intelligence target (GUA01). The programme uses automated facial recognition technology to match existing targets and to discover potential new targets….
Purpose: ANT is a division of the NSA that provides software and hardware surveillance products to members of the ‘Five Eyes’ alliance, including the NSA and GCHQ. The ANT catalogue is a 50-page classified document from 2008 listing available technology, with summaries of hardware and software surveillance in eleven areas,…
Purpose: SQUEAKY DOLPHIN is a GCHQ pilot programme demonstrating the ability to monitor social media in real time (NBC01). The programme monitors the following information extracted from GCHQ’s bulk collection programmes: Facebook ‘likes’ YouTube video views Blogger visits Specific Twitter accounts The programme uses off-the-shelf analytics and visualisation software (Splunk,…
