From Radio to Porn, British Spies Track Web Users’ Online Identities
Top-secret documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden expose U.K. eavesdropping agency GCHQ's attempts to create the largest mass surveillance system anywhere in the world.
Snowden Archive
Whistleblower Edward Snowden provided founders of The Intercept with documents from the National Security Agency and its counterparts around the world. Here are the stories we were able to publish as a result.
What Happens When a Failed Writer Becomes a Loyal Spy?
Are you the Socrates of the National Security Agency? That was the question the NSA asked its workforce in a memo soliciting applications for an in-house ethicist who would write a philosophically minded column about signals intelligence.
My Life Unmasking British Eavesdroppers
Duncan Campbell spent 30 years — and risked his freedom — uncovering the secrets of U.S. and British eavesdropping, including the existence of ECHELON, one of the biggest spy scandals of the Cold War. Now, thanks to Edward Snowden, he has proof of ECHELON's existence.
Israeli Special Forces Assassinated Senior Syrian Official
According to an internal National Security Agency document provided by Edward Snowden, the 2008 assassination of Muhammad Suleiman, a top General and aide to the Syrian president, was an Israeli military operation.
A Look at the Inner Workings of NSA's XKEYSCORE
Documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden shed light on the inner workings of XKEYSCORE, one of the most extensive programs of mass surveillance in human history.
NSA’s Google for the World’s Private Communications
One of the NSA's most powerful tools of mass surveillance makes tracking someone’s Internet usage as easy as entering an email address, and provides no built-in technology to prevent abuse.
How the NSA Started Investigating the New York Times' Warrantless Wiretapping Story
After the newspaper published its 2005 story, the NSA issued a top-secret assessment of the damage to intelligence efforts. The memo, along with a marked-up copy of the article, is among the Snowden files.
Controversial GCHQ Unit Engaged in Domestic Law Enforcement, Online Propaganda, Psychology Research
JTRIG’s use of behavioral science research is emphasized as critical to its operations, including discussions of how to foster “obedience” and “conformity.”
Spies Hacked Computers Thanks to Sweeping Secret Warrants, Aggressively Stretching U.K. Law
GCHQ needed to reverse engineer software to hack into computer networks — so it decided to secretly reinterpret British law. Then it abused its newfound powers, ignoring internal guidelines.
Popular Security Software Came Under Relentless NSA and GCHQ Attacks
To thwart and extract hacks from anti-virus software companies, the spy agencies reverse engineered software, intercepted email and spied on web traffic. Kaspersky Lab was a major target.