National Security Agency Facts for Kids

National Security Agency headquarters in Fort Meade, 2013

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a part of the United States government. It was started in 1952, and the main office is in Maryland, USA.

Their stated goal is to protect the US people. They do this by

Round the world "eavesdropping". This means that they listen to what people are saying in other countries, without letting them know that they are listening. They monitor, collect, decode, translate and analyse information and data. This is known as signals intelligence (SIGINT).

NSA also protects the U.S. from evesdropping and SIGINT spying by foreign governments and agencies. This is protection against "penetration and network warfare". The agency does this by clandestine means, among which are bugging electronic systems, and sabotaging their computer networks with viral software.

Other pages

Black Chamber cryptanalytic work sheet for solving Japanese diplomatic cipher, 1919
Protesters against NSA data mining in Berlin wearing Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden masks
PRISM: a clandestine surveillance program under which the NSA collects user data from companies like Microsoft and Facebook.
Paul M. Nakasone, the director of the NSA.
Behind the Green Door – Secure communications room with separate computer terminals for access to SIPRNET, GWAN, NSANET, and JWICS
Headquarters at Fort Meade circa 1950s
Due to massive amounts of data processing, NSA is the largest electricity consumer in Maryland.
Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado
Utah Data Center
RAF Menwith Hill has the largest NSA presence in the United Kingdom.
FROSTBURG was the NSA's first supercomputer, used from 1991 to 1997
STU-III secure telephones on display at the National Cryptologic Museum
National Cryptologic Memorial