Alistair Barr, USA TODAY 1:31 p.m. EDT October 30, 2013
In this image made from video released by WikiLeaks on Oct. 11, 2013, former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden, center, receives the Sam Adams Award in Moscow, Russia.(Photo: AP/Wikileaks)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Security Agency secretly collects information that flows between the data centers of technology giants Yahoo and Google data centers, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing documents from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials.
The NSA does this mainly through a project called MUSCULAR, which it operates with the agency's British counterpart, GCHQ. From undisclosed interception points, the agencies copy entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of Yahoo and Google, the newspaper said.
The NSA's acquisitions directorate sends millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency's Fort Meade headquarters, the Post added, citing a secret accounting report dated Jan. 9, 2013.
In the preceding 30 days, the report said, field collectors had processed and sent back 181,280,466 new records, ranging from "metadata," which would indicate who sent or received e-mails and when, to content such as text, audio and video.
The NSA already collects data from Google, Yahoo and other tech companies under a separate program known as PRISM, which legally compels them to provide the agency with information that matches court-approved search terms.
The large-scale collection of data that is happening through the MUSCULAR program would be illegal in the United States, but the operations take place overseas, where the NSA is allowed to presume that anyone using a foreign data link is a foreigner, the Washington Post explained.
Google and Yahoo did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
In this image made from video released by WikiLeaks on Oct. 11, 2013, former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden, center, receives the Sam Adams Award in Moscow, Russia.(Photo: AP/Wikileaks)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Security Agency secretly collects information that flows between the data centers of technology giants Yahoo and Google data centers, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing documents from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials.
The NSA does this mainly through a project called MUSCULAR, which it operates with the agency's British counterpart, GCHQ. From undisclosed interception points, the agencies copy entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of Yahoo and Google, the newspaper said.
The NSA's acquisitions directorate sends millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency's Fort Meade headquarters, the Post added, citing a secret accounting report dated Jan. 9, 2013.
In the preceding 30 days, the report said, field collectors had processed and sent back 181,280,466 new records, ranging from "metadata," which would indicate who sent or received e-mails and when, to content such as text, audio and video.
The NSA already collects data from Google, Yahoo and other tech companies under a separate program known as PRISM, which legally compels them to provide the agency with information that matches court-approved search terms.
The large-scale collection of data that is happening through the MUSCULAR program would be illegal in the United States, but the operations take place overseas, where the NSA is allowed to presume that anyone using a foreign data link is a foreigner, the Washington Post explained.
Google and Yahoo did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.