What U.S. government organization was behind the controversial Tempora, PRISM, and XKeyscore operations?

The National Security Agency (NSA) is the U.S. government organization responsible for operations like Tempora, PRISM, and XKeyscore. These programs are linked to surveillance and data collection efforts aimed at monitoring communication and gathering intelligence both domestically and internationally.

Tempora is a British program run by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) but is linked to NSA through sharing intelligence. PRISM allows the NSA to collect data from major tech companies under certain legal frameworks, while XKeyscore is a tool used by the NSA to sift through vast amounts of data collected from various sources.

The NSA is tasked with protecting U.S. national security through signals intelligence and has been at the center of debates regarding privacy, government surveillance, and civil liberties. Understanding the pivotal role of the NSA in these programs highlights the agency's focus on intelligence gathering and its implications for national security policies.