NSA Classified Documents Leak Incident

The NSA's "Prism" program is a surveillance program operated by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), used primarily to monitor internet communications. It began in 2007 and was revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013.

The main purpose of the Prism program is to collect foreign intelligence, and through it the NSA cooperates with major internet companies such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Apple to access user data. This data may include emails, video and audio chats, photos, documents, and more.

According to Snowden, Prism focuses on targets outside the U.S., but information on U.S. citizens can also be collected incidentally. The program caused great controversy at home and abroad, sparking widespread debate over the balance between individual privacy and government surveillance powers.

Prism is claimed to operate legally under the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Patriot Act, but these legal bases and the program's activities remain the subject of much criticism and controversy.