1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

2. How does the MYSTIC program work? (What can NSA agents do with it?) Be specific.

3. When was the NSA first able to operate its MYSTIC voice interception program at full capacity against the first target nation?

4. a) Why did the Washington Post withhold details on which country the MYSTIC system is being used in or other countries where it might be used?
b) Do you agree with this decision? Explain your answer.

5. The MYSTIC program is the first to allow the NSA to collect data in bulk. Why is this type of bulk collection of data controversial?

6. a) What is the purpose of the program, according to the NSA?
b) Do you support this type of program by the NSA for its intended purpose? (Do you think it is necessary?) Explain your answer.

7. a) How did NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines respond to the Washington Post's disclosure of this secret surveillance program?
b) Do you agree with her assertion? Explain your answer.

8. Why does the NSA's MYSTIC program impact the privacy of many Americans?

9. What pledge did President Obama make on January 17 that has been contradicted by the exposure of this program?

10. For each of the following, write agree or disagree and explain your answer for each:

• from para. 23: An independent group tasked by the White House to review U.S. surveillance policies recommended that incidentally collected U.S. calls and e-mails - including those obtained overseas - should nearly always “be purged upon detection.” President Obama did not accept that recommendation.
• para. 24: NSA spokeswoman Vines, in her statement, said the NSA’s work is “strictly conducted under the rule of law.”
• para. 25-26: RETRO and MYSTIC are carried out under Executive Order 12333, the traditional grant of presidential authority to intelligence agencies for operations outside the United States. Since August, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and others on that panel have been working on plans to assert a greater oversight role for intelligence gathering abroad. Some legislators are now considering whether Congress should also draft new laws to govern those operations.
• para. 31-32: Peter Swire, a member of the president’s review group, said that the fact that Americans and foreigners use the same devices, software and networks calls for greater care to safeguard Americans’ privacy. “It’s important to have institutional protections so that advanced capabilities used overseas don’t get turned against our democracy at home,” he said.