Brief Overview of U.S. Surveillanc Since the 1970s

June 9, 1972 ------------------------------------------------------------------- United States of America v. U.S. District Court ------------------------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the 4th Amendment protects against unreasonable electronic searches, even when there are domestic threats to the nation.

January 27, 1975 ----------------------------------------------------- Church Committee Report Released ----------------------------------------------------- Senator Frank Church's committee's investigations into U.S. intelligence agencies conclude that agencies have undermined U.S. citizens' constitutional rights.

October 25, 1978 ----------------------------------------------------- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ----------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Congress passes FISA to better control and monitor agencies' activities. This results in the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).

Soon After 9/11 ------------------------------------------------------------- Bush Authorizes Warrantless Surveillance ------------------------------------------------------------- President George W. Bush issues an executive order directing the NSA to begin monitoring phone calls, Internet Activity, and text messaging if any party involved is located outside of the United States.

September 11, 2001

October 26, 2001 -------------------------------------- USA PATRIOT Act Enacted -------------------------------------- The act provides broad powers to the U.S. government to obtain intelligence on suspected terrorists, and adds the ability for the government to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely.

December 16, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------ The NY Times Reveals NSA's Surveillance ------------------------------------------------------------ With the backing of a thorough investigation, the New York Times publishes a piece detailing much of the NSA's warrantless surveillance program.

February 5, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------ Telecom Cahoots with NSA Revealed ------------------------------------------------------ USA Today reports published indicate that at least three of the major U.S. telecommunications companies - AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, worked with the NSA in its surveillance program.

August 5, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------ Protect America Act of 2007 Enacted ------------------------------------------------------------ Facing pressure over the NY Times and USA Today stories, President Bush urged Congress to pass this amendment to the the FISA in their2007 August recess. Essentially, it gave Congressional approval to much of what Bush's 2001 executive order had already directed the NSA to begin doing.

July 10, 2008 ----------------------------------- FISA is Amended Again ----------------------------------- The FISA amendment renews several key parts of earlier amendments to FISA, and grants telecom companies immunity if they participate in NSA surveillance. Then-Senator Barack Obama voted yes on the bill.

June 7, 2013 ----------------------------------------------------------- Obama Responds to PRISM Revelations ----------------------------------------------------------- Long story short, President Obama defends the NSA program, saying it is necessary for continued national security, and that it has proper oversight.

Barack Obama Inaugurated

Bill Clinton Innaugurated

George H.W. Bush Innaugurated

Ronald Reagan Inaugurated

Richard Nixon Resigns, Gerald Ford Inaugurated

Jimmy Carter Inaugurated

November 2005 ----------------------------------------------- Dual Elliptic Curve Standardized ----------------------------------------------- The encryption standard pushed by the NSA is officially standardized.

June and August 2007 -------------------------------------------------------- Dual EC to have Potential For Backdoor --------------------------------------------------------- In June 2007, Adam Young and Moti Yung publish a paper that utilizes twisted elliptic curves to gain a backdoor. Dan Shumow and Niels Ferguson provide an informal demonstration of this in August 2007.

September 5, 2013 --------------------------------------------------- NSA's Bullrun Program is Revealed --------------------------------------------------- The Bullrun program has the express intention of introducing weak encryption standards. A New York Times article states that the Dual Elliptic Curve was once such standard.

June 2013 ------------------------------------------ SIMON and SPECK Published ------------------------------------------- The NSA's latest encryption algorithms, pending ISO approval, are first published.

May 20, 2013 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Edward Snowden Reveals PRISM Surveillance ------------------------------------------------------------------ NSA contractor Edward Snowden works with the news organization the Guardian to expose the next big surveillance, program PRISM, which not only works with telecom companies, bu tech companies such as Google, Facebok, and Microsoft.

July 20, 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FISC Says U.S. Surveillance Actions are Not-So Constitutional ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, allows U.S. Senator Ron Wyden to reveal that the FISC had found government surveillance activities "unreasonable under the 4th Amendment" "at least once."

George W. Bush Inaugurated