http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/08/nsa-prism-server...
"PRISM == Collection directly from the servers" written in the top secret slide apparently made in his agency.
To be fair this wouldn't be the first bullshit powerpoint presentation I have seen in my life.
But he's not even denying that they directly collect information from those companies. It could be that the slideshow is misleading and PRISM is not the collection program but just the interface to the databanks from the collection program.
But we aren't upset about what PRISM is doing we are upset about what the NSA is doing. So clearing PRISM's name is pointless and could just be a way to mislead without directly lying. Or he may just be lying.
I don't think that Glenn Greenwald would stake his reputation on just a PowerPoint. He claims on Twitter that he has "highly detailed technical NSA materials on how they eavesdrop". [1] Though I'm not sure if that is a reference to the telecom spying or Internet spying.
[1] https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/343470800784982016
Re:NSA Chief describes what PRISM is
by webwanderings on Saturday June 08, 2013 @06:02PM
(#5846509)
"used to facilitate".
These are the key words. It appears to be a pipeline, from government to independent corporate networks. The government uses this "system" to retrieve whatever they want to retrieve, and whenever they want to retrieve, the information from independent corporations, following of course the legal procedures.
Well, we can all go to sleep better now.
PRISM is not an undisclosed collection or data mining program. 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
http://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Facts%20on%20the%20Collec...