PRISM (surveillance program)

PRISM is an NSA electronic surveillance program that obtains communications from U.S. technology companies under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act.

Section 702: A provision of the FISA Amendments Act authorizing surveillance of non-U.S. persons reasonably believed to be abroad. It is the legal authority under which PRISM collection is conducted.
FISA Amendments Act of 2008: A U.S. law that amended foreign-intelligence surveillance rules, including by establishing Section 702. Its passage created the statutory framework associated with PRISM.
United States v. Mohamud: A federal appeals case addressing the use of evidence obtained through Section 702 surveillance. The case examined constitutional challenges to evidence collected under the authority associated with PRISM.
Upstream surveillance: NSA collection of internet communications from network infrastructure rather than directly from service providers. It is the distinct Section 702 collection method often contrasted with PRISM.
Upstream collection: An NSA surveillance method that collects communications as they travel across internet infrastructure. It contrasts with PRISM’s collection from companies’ stored systems and services.
Protect America Act of 2007: A temporary U.S. law that revised rules for surveillance of foreign targets communicating through U.S. infrastructure. It was a precursor to the 2008 framework that authorized PRISM-era collection.
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: An independent U.S. agency that reviews executive-branch actions involving privacy and civil liberties. Its Section 702 reports assessed PRISM’s operation, safeguards, and civil-liberties effects.
Executive Order 12333: A 1981 U.S. executive order governing the organization and conduct of foreign intelligence activities. It provides a separate intelligence authority, unlike PRISM’s Section 702 basis.
FISA Court: A U.S. federal court that reviews applications for foreign intelligence surveillance orders and certifications. Its procedures and certifications provide oversight for Section 702 collection.
Edward Snowden: A former NSA contractor who disclosed classified documents about U.S. surveillance programs in 2013. His disclosures brought PRISM and its documents into public view.

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