With Internet security and online privacy currently one of the hotly debated topics in the United States, a new set of documents was recently publicized showing a close partnership between the National Security Agency and wireless network giant AT&T.
The program was called Fairview and forwards at least one million worth of emails on a daily basis directly into NSA's headquarters located in Fort Meade, Maryland, according to the New York Times. Additionally, the Stormbrew program linked to Verizon is also planning to roll out the spying technology.
During the first few months of the Fairview program, AT&T forwarded at least 400 billion worth of Internet metadata records to help the NSA establish a "live presence on the global net." The information exchange reached at least 1.1 billion daily domestic phone records in 2011 in an effort to "push to get this flow operational prior to the 10th anniversary of 9/11."
The documents also reveal a decade long partnership between AT&T and NSA. According to CNN, AT&T not only gave NSA full access to emails circulated over its network but also allowed the agency to access and monitor communications at the United Nations. The documents added that AT&T's decision to share private email conversation and full access of its network to NSA are within legal boundaries.
This collaboration between the NSA and several large tech and communications companies was first leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013. The new documents reveal a far bigger conspiracy between AT&T and the NSA.
The documents also reveal that the NSA spent at least $188 billion to cover operational costs of the Fairview program.