Microsoft Releases New Service

Document Date: December 26, 2012
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Agency: Press
Document Type: Internal NSA Documents/Presentations
Legal Authorities: FISA Amendments Act, Executive Order 12333
Records Collected: Internet Metadata, Internet Content, Address Books

After worries that Microsoft's new encryption practices would prevent the NSA from accessing email and chat data, this NSA memo announces a new surveillance capability developed in collaboration with Microsoft to circumvent the new encryptions. With its partnership with Microsoft, the NSA can access emails, text-based chat, and voice/video and file transfers.