The FBI had, and likely still has, much closer involvement with the NSA's mass surveillance programs than we thought – with access to foreign intelligence and data on Americans obtained by the PRISM program.
A 231-page report (PDF)by the Justice Department's Inspector General was released to the public — albeit with a large amount of redaction — following a freedom of information request from the New York Times, a request made possible using key information leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The report finds that in 2008 – almost since the launch of the PRISM program, which allows the NSA to access citizens' information stored by Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Yahoo! among others – the FBI had access to very personal data.
The following year, the feds requested and obtained their own feed on the activities of foreign nationals under Section 702 of the Patriot Act. By April 2012, the agency, which is tasked with internal corporate security, had begun requesting information on specific individuals.
It is clear from publications last week that the NSA had assisted the FBI in the Sony Pictures attack, and of course this is only the tip of the iceberg, as both agencies appear to have been working closely for some time and sharing information and techniques.
This could bring an interesting twist to the trial of Ross Ulbricht — the alleged Silk Road administrator, Dread Pirate Roberts — which begins Tuesday. The FBI claims that mistakes by Ross Ulbricht led to his arrest, but his defense argues that the feds must have hacked their client, possibly with the help of the NSA.
