The National Security Agency used a previously undisclosed term called PRISM, during a presentation   and they characterized PRISM as government technology used to aid in previously known information-gathering efforts, rather than a term to describe a new effort to obtain information from companies. The disclosure of efforts to obtain information from U.S. Internet companies was part of foreign-surveillance efforts. PRISM is not an undisclosed collection or data mining program,” the fact sheet states. “It is an internal government computer system used to facilitate the government’s statutorily authorized collection of foreign intelligence information from electronic communication service providers under court supervision.

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