"Boundless Informant" software could show how much metadata NSA's PRISM collects

posted by Michael H. / Jun 08, 2013, 10:10 PM

After a couple intense days of speculation and troubling reports about what could be contained in the set of data the NSA's PRISM program has gathered, we're getting some actual information on it. Glenn Greenwald from The Guardian, who had first exposed the Verizon call logging side of this, has gotten a look at "Boundless Informant" which is software that details the data collection a bit more.

"Boundless Informant" software could show how much metadata NSA's PRISM collects

According to Greenwald, the data collected is once again focused on metadata (just like the logs collected from Verizon), and PRISM doesn't include the contents of emails, instant messages, or phone calls, but some documents show that IP addresses can be attached to the data. An NSA spokesman told Greenwald that "current technology simply does not permit us to positively identify all of the persons or locations associated with a given communication."

Boundless Informant is used to organize the data, and where it originates. The software shows that 3 billion pieces of information were tracked in the US over a 30-day period ending in March. During that same time, 97 billion pieces of information were collected worldwide, and the most heavily surveilled regions were Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, and India. The heat map to the right shows how much various regions around the world are surveilled, with the range going from green to red.

As you can see, America is a mid-range yellow. Of course, the government has insisted that Americans have not been targeted, although incidental information could have been gathered if an American was somehow connected to a targeted individual.

source: The Guardian

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12 Comments

1. blackice214

Posts: 168; Member since: Jan 03, 2013

Damn the us is really collapsing in on itself.

posted on Jun 08, 2013, 11:28 PM 2

2. james004

Posts: 486; Member since: May 15, 2013

So they were basically Spying on Pakistan and Iran. Interesting, they first spy on their facebook and drone-attack them because they didnt like the picture that was posted on facebook.

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 1:12 AM 1

5. Timmehor

Posts: 599; Member since: Mar 09, 2013

I don't think so, America has been successful with their drone attacks, the only thing is, that it kills way too many innocent civilians in the process. Terrorists live among the civilian population, there was always going to be collateral damage, sadly enough. War is war, what a horrible thing it is.

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 2:41 AM 0

9. Diazene

Posts: 129; Member since: May 01, 2013

no, it's like you've even went there, drone attacks mainly target civilians, so terrorists would stop like killing someone's son to make him stop something

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 10:17 AM 0

11. Beholder88

Posts: 86; Member since: Mar 30, 2012

Wow, this makes no sense. You think terrorists think like we do? They are HAPPY if they die, or someone dies for their "Jihad". They die and get their 72 virgins and are supposedly in a better place anyhow. They don't care who lives or dies, it just gives them all the more validation. I've been in the Army for almost 11 years, so don't tell me killing some terrorist's son is going to make him stop attacking us. Something like that would make them all the more likely to attack again.

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 12:21 PM 1

7. ihatesmartphone unregistered

umm.... where is China?? Huawei, zte??

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 5:55 AM 0

4. Timmehor

It's a really sensitive and tough topic with two very strong sides of the argument. On the Pro PRISM side you have protecting the US and parts of the world from dangerous, violent terror attacks that could harm and kill many innocent civilians (Online/Phone spying has stopped various terror attacks in the past) while on the Against PRISM side you have a ferocious circle of paranoia, fear, distrust and the feeling of being watched 24/7 by a government you are meant to trust, which are famous for not being trusted, even by their own people. This program has saved many innocent lives and captured many terrorists in the act of planning out an attack, on the other hand you may have the wrong people with sensitive private information.

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 2:38 AM 0

3. Droid_X_Doug

Posts: 5993; Member since: Dec 22, 2010

Hmmm. Looks like the U.S. gets the same level of attention as the People's Republic of China.... Nothing like spying on your citizens. Folks in Russia get less attention from our own alphabet soup agencies. Is there any doubt the 4th amendment to the US Constitution ceases to exist?

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 1:37 AM 0

10. Diazene

WTF, the US spying on my country, who gave them the f*cking right, they can spy as much as they want on their citizens, but not on us and I doubt any terrorists are from my country

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 10:18 AM 0

12. rusticguy

Posts: 2828; Member since: Aug 11, 2012

Ok so what happens to the Whistle Blower -- Edward Snowden -- who revealed all this?

posted on Jun 09, 2013, 4:56 PM 0

13. Droid_X_Doug

He comes down with a fatal case of previously unknown form of avian influenza with a 100% mortality rate? Since he appears to be a lone wolf, there is nothing to be gained by rendition.

posted on Jun 10, 2013, 12:32 AM 0

14. Reluctant_Human

Posts: 912; Member since: Jun 28, 2012

It was a smart move coming forward or else he would have been one of the nameless in Getmo. It's insane how crazy the government has gotten over the years and we still can't pass a decent bill for background checks or get the veterans disabilities computerized.