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Can you guess how the NSA can read Facebook chats, while Facebook does use SSL encryption? Requesting information directly from the Facebook HQ is possible (see also who betrayed Facebook in favor of the NSA), but if you read the details of this program you will see that they are talking about the raw TCP packages.

"enables an analyst using XKeyscore to read the content of Facebook chats " http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/nsa-top-secret-program-online-data

PS:

Former Facebook security chief is now working for the NSA

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2347047/Former-Facebook-security-chief-working-NSA.html#ixzz2aekPnnJS

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SSL only protects communication between your system and Facebook's system. Since Facebook is a willing participant, they simply provide access to their database which stores the conversations in the clear.

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  • Yes, but If you read the details of this X-Keyscore program, you will see that it talks about raw TCP/IP packages.
    – user129789
    Commented Jul 31, 2013 at 19:54
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    @user129789 - no where in the linked article did it say anything I could find about TCP/IP. In theory, depending on the type of SSL, if the private certificate was shared, then the SSL key exchange could be decoded and HTTPS traffic could be directly decoded, but this would still be due to collusion on Facebook's part. Facebook is in the business of selling your information, this really shouldn't be a surprise. Commented Jul 31, 2013 at 21:44
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This seems simple enough: SSL is just between your computer and the Facebook servers. The Facebook servers, by construction, see all the data unencrypted. If I were the NSA, I would simply request from Facebook themselves a copy of the whole lot.

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  • Yes, but If you read the details of this X-Keyscore program, you will see that it talks about raw TCP/IP packages.
    – user129789
    Commented Jul 31, 2013 at 21:36

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