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Timelines: NSA & Law Enforcement Requests for Internet and Phone User Information

Liz Woolery, July 05, 2013

Abstract: Two timelines depict the growth of the NSA's PRISM program, as well as other notable events in which law enforcement officials have requested telephone and internet users' data from 2000 to 2013. Also shown are milestones in the Chilling Effects project's history.

At Chilling Effects we've been talking a lot lately about the NSA's PRISM program, government collection of data, and transparency. Of course, we're always talking about transparency online, but news of the PRISM program added a certain amount of fervor to these discussions.

There's been a lot of news coverage about these issues in recent weeks, but one thing I felt was missing from these stories was a visual narrative. Using a couple of neat online timeline-creator tools (Timeline JS and Tiki-Toki), I've created two timelines that map the progression of law enforcement requests for internet and phone user information over the past decade or so.

Both timelines are below, and for the most part they depict depict the same information. Why have two timelines? Well, I want your feedback! Which works best? Or is there another, better way to tell the "story"? If you have questions, comments, suggestions, feedback, or a contribution to the timelines, email me at ewoolery@cyber.law.harvard.edu.

Stories on both timelines have been categorized to help readers "map" the different pieces of this puzzle. Categories include:

• Breaking News. This category notes when a news organization broke a major story about government collection of internet and phone user data.


• Chilling Effects. This category tracks the development of the Chilling Effects project, including its partnerships with Google and Twitter to catalog DCMA take-down notices and cease-and-desist letters for online content.


• Government Collection of Phone Data. This category identifies a story relating to a government or law enforcement request for telephone user information.


• Government Request for (Internet) Data. This category identifies a story relating to a government or law enforcement request for internet user data.


• Legal Challenges. This category identifies notable legal challenges to law enforcement requests, as well as the outcomes of those challenges.


• Interactive Computer Services Join PRISM. Interactive Computer Services are organizations such as Yahoo, Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides a definition of the term: "Interactive computer service means any information service, system, or access software provider that provides or enables computer access by multiple users to a computer server, including specifically a service or system that provides access to the Internet and such systems operated or services offered by libraries or educational institutions."

My hope is to add a "commentary" category in the near future. Ideally this would include op-ed and opinion pieces as well as as tweets and other commentary on the news stories.

Check out the timelines below, and let me know what you think.

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Timeline JS

With Timeline JS, to read more about any story on the timeline, click the image to be taken to the original source -- new article or press release -- for that story. PagePeeker - which provides the preview of the source -- may take a moment to load a screenshot, so please be patient.

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Tiki-Toki Timeline

With the Tiki-Toki timeline, click "More" on any story on the timeline to view the source for and more information about that story. You can adjust the view settings in the lower righthand corner, or view the timeline in 3D mode using the button in the lower lefthand corner. You can view the timeline fullscreen on the Tiki-Toki website here.

All images on this timeline are available via Wikimedia and/or are Creative Commons licensed.

Related News

Researches Using Chilling Effects Data Seek Survey Participants, Chilling Effects Team, February 14, 2014 Being a Chilling Effects Berktern, Sanna Kulevska - 2013 Berktern, July 01, 2013 Chilling Effects Now Testing API-Based Notice Submissions, Chilling Effects Team, October 30, 2013 Feeling the NSA Chill: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt., Adam Holland, September 12, 2013 The Parody Shirt the NSA Doesn't Want You to Wear, Kevin Collier, Daily Dot, August 27, 2013 more

Related Resources

Build Your Own DMCA Counter-Notice, (form) Legal Scholarship Using Chilling Effects, (bibliography) Online Media Legal Network, (resource) Chilling Effects (Chinese) “寒蝉”, Chilling Effects Clearinghouse Cease and Desist, (introduction) more