1. Explain why the journalists who interviewed Edward Snowden were surprised by the document that detailed the relationship between the U. S. government’s intelligence gathering agencies and Verizon? What did the document reveal? 2. What was the PRISM program, and what kind of data did PRISM collect? Explain the National Security Agency’s (NSA) argument against the Washington Post “naming names” when reporting on the program?
3. In the press conference discussed in the video, what did President Barack Obama say about the collection of data in regard to who was targeted through the PRISM program? Did the documents Snowden released to the Guardian support Obama’s claim?
4. What was Snowden’s rationale/explanation for why he released the documents?
5. What was the difference between the PRISM program and the MUSCULAR program?
6. The 2001 Patriot Act provided a “new era” of intelligence gathering. Discuss why you think the intelligence gathering inspired by that act, as detailed in the video, is appropriate or not?
7. What did AT&T employee Mark Klein discover when he tried to find out the purpose of the “secret room” behind the handle-less door? Discuss why Klein didn’t say anything at the time, despite being upset by this discovery?
8. Nick Marrow, chief executive officer (CEO) of Calyx, received a letter from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that was "warrantless" and also came with a "gag order." What do these terms mean?
9. Discuss what the government report concluded regarding the NSA’s intelligence gathering?
For the correct answers watch the United States of Secrets part one on PBS Frontline.