Going Through Snowden Documents, Part 1 (libroot.org)

A new analysis project is underway to systematically review and publish findings from documents leaked by Edward Snowden, focusing on overlooked details since the original 2013 disclosures. The initial report highlights a 2009 NSA internal training presentation on XKEYSCORE, which demonstrates the agency's ability to conduct extensive surveillance operations, including targeting the Chinese defense contractor Norinco and Mexican federal law enforcement. This document reveals previously unreported insights into NSA's Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) methods, emphasizing the significance of multi-target surveillance capabilities that XKEYSCORE provides. The findings include a noteworthy redaction error that exposed an NSA analyst’s username, raising concerns about operational security. Furthermore, several newly identified surveillance program codenames, like TURBOCHASER and TUCKER, suggest the existence of advanced frameworks for tasking and exploitation beyond previously known systems. These revelations not only contribute to a deeper understanding of NSA’s technical capabilities but also underscore the ethical implications of surveillance on allied nations, particularly through unauthorized monitoring of their law enforcement communications. This comprehensive project, expected to culminate in 2026, aims to shed light on critical but underexplored aspects of state surveillance in the digital era.