NSA Hype Machine

Maybe Edward Snowden wasn't such a blowhard, after all.

When the NSA leaker insisted that low-level employees like him could spy on just about anyone, administration officials and NSA supporters in Congress were quick to call him an embellisher, if not an outright liar. But a pair of classified disclosures -- one authorized by government officials, the other most certainly not -- lend some credence to Snowden's claims. They don't clearly demonstrate that Snowden was right, but they don't exactly rule out that an analyst could use the powerful tool to spy on Americans without proper authority. Snowden has claimed that as an NSA contractor, he had the ability to order surveillance and spy on anyone he chose. This was among his boldest claims and the one most hotly refuted by administration officials and NSA's supporters in Congress. The XKeyscore presentation doesn't clearly demonstrate that Snowden was right, but it doesn't rule out that the tool could be employed by a rogue analyst or someone operating beyond the constraints of the law. Whether the system is being used to spy on U.S. citizens and residents depends on the legal safeguards that are in place, according to a former intelligence analyst who is experienced in using NSA tools.