Events
NSA mass surveillance: the Snowden disclosures (2013)
Documented · occurred Handling What these labels mean →On March 12, 2013, DNI James Clapper told the Senate (answering Wyden) that the NSA did 'not wittingly' collect data on millions of Americans. In June 2013, Edward Snowden's leaks (the Guardian's Verizon Section 215 order, PRISM) showed bulk collection of Americans' phone records. In ACLU v. Clapper (2d Cir., May 2015), a court held that Section 215 didn't authorize the program; the USA Freedom Act (2015) ended bulk call-record collection. Snowden was charged under the Espionage Act and lives in Russia (Putin granted Russian citizenship on 26 Sep 2022; Reuters).
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COINTELPRO (1956-1971) | pattern: domestic surveillance exposed by a leak, not oversight | 1971/2013 | Concept | |
| Suppression pattern | case: DENIAL TO CONGRESS, then leak; court ruled it unlawful | 2013–2015 | Documented · occurred Handling | en.wikipedia.org |
| WikiLeaks (2010-2024) | Assange/WikiLeaks helped Snowden travel from Hong Kong | 2013 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
Tied from
| From | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 11 attacks - WTC and the record (2001) | downstream: Patriot Act Section 215 | 2001–2015 | Documented · occurred | |
| Catastrophic UAP disclosure will occur (Coulthart prediction) | model: Snowden-style walkout | 2013 | Concept | |
| Clapper told the Senate Intelligence Committee the NSA does not wittingly collect any type of data on millions of Americans (12 Mar 2013) | the DNI's public denial to Congress, before the June 2013 disclosures | 2013 | Documented · said | govinfo.gov |
| The NSA does not wittingly collect any type of data on millions of Americans (Clapper, 2013) | denial contradicted by the 2013 disclosures and the DNI's own correction | 2013 | Unproven | |
| Leak prosecutions compared | Snowden charged (3 counts, 2 under the Espionage Act) | 2013 | Documented · occurred | |
| Crypto AG - Operation Rubicon (1970-2018) | pattern: signals collection revealed only by leak or reporting | 2013/2020 | Concept | |
| Stuxnet - Operation Olympic Games (2005-2012) | NSA TAO/Equation Group; Snowden-era disclosures | 2013–2017 | Documented · occurred | |
| WikiLeaks (2010-2024) | helped Snowden leave Hong Kong | 2013 | Documented · occurred |
Links
- Wikipedia: ACLU v. Clapper
- EFF: appeals court rules phone dragnet illegal
- ACLU case page
- Wikipedia: Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)
Notes
| Item | Record | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Clapper: 'No, sir.' … 'Not wittingly. There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly.' (12 Mar 2013) | Senate hearing record; Wikipedia: James Clapper | denial |
| Bulk phone-records collection under Section 215 | Snowden documents; government confirmed | program |
| 2d Circuit: not authorized by Section 215 (May 2015) | ACLU v. Clapper | unlawful |
| USA Freedom Act ends bulk call-record collection (June 2015) | Statute | reform |
How it was handled
| Method | What happened | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| DENIAL | False or misleading answer to Congress; no charges followed | denial to Congress |
| PROSECUTE THE SOURCE | Espionage Act charges against Snowden | source charged |