XKeyscore Has Nearly Limitless Access

[Tinman57]

NSA's XKeyscore program has nearly limitless access to all Internet activity
07.31.2013 8:34 AM

Newly unveiled NSA program from Edward Snowden shows how authorities have access to nearly all Internet activity including emails, browsing history, and even Facebook chats.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2045625/the-guardian-nsa-s-xkeyscore-program-has-nearly-limitless-access-to-all-internet-activity.html

[Renegade]

Oh, don't worry. Only 35 NSA analysts have access, according to General Keith Alexander:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57596420-83/hackers-to-nsa-chief-read-the-constitution/?ttag=fbwp

He pointed out that of all of the NSA's analysts, only 35 are authorized to run queries on the database that contains metadata vacuumed up by Section 215. "They have to go through three separate training regimen, and pass tests, to do queries into that database," he said, highlighting that not all NSA employees can access the data it has collected.

If you're wondering what "collect" means...

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/07/nsa_lexicon_how_james_clapper_and_other_u_s_officials_mislead_the_american.html

Collect. If an intelligence official says that the NSA isn’t “collecting” a certain kind of information, what has he actually said? Not very much, it turns out. One of the NSA’s foundational documents states that “collection” occurs not when the government acquires information but when the government “selects” or “tasks” that information for “subsequent processing.” Thus it becomes possible for the government to acquire great reams of information while denying that it is “collecting” anything at all.

I feel SOOOOOO much better now!

Not.