2017 NSA Surveillance Stats.pdf

A. Background.
In June 2014, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) began releasing statistics relating to the
use of critical national security authorities, including the FISA, in an annual report called the
Statistical Transparency Report Regarding Use of National Security Authorities (hereafter the
Annual Statistical Transparency Report). Subsequent Annual Statistical Transparency Reports
were released in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
On June 2, 2015, the USA FREEDOM Act was enacted, codifying a requirement to publicly report
many of the statistics already reported in the Annual Statistical Transparency Report. The Act
also expanded the scope of the information included in the reports by requiring the DNI to
report information concerning United States person (U.S. person or USP) search terms and
queries of certain FISA-acquired information, as well as specific statistics concerning call detail
records. See 50 U.S.C. § 1873(b). On January 19, 2018, the reauthorized FAA was signed. See 50
U.S.C. § 1881a. The reauthorized FAA (also referred to as the Section 702 Reauthorization Act of
2017) codified additional statistics that must be publicly released, including many statistics that
the government previously reported pursuant to its commitment to transparency.
B. Areas Covered in this Report.
This report provides statistics in the following areas (the terms used below are defined and
explained later in this report):
 FISA Probable Cause Authorities. The number of orders—and the number of targets
under those orders—issued under FISA Titles I and III.
 FISA Section 702. The number of orders—and the number of targets under those
orders—issued under FISA Section 702.
 FISA Section 702 and FBI Investigations. The number of FBI investigations that used
FISA Section 702-acquired information.
 NSA Dissemination of U.S. Person Information under FISA Section 702. The number
of times the NSA disseminated U.S. person information acquired under FISA Section
702.
 FISA Criminal Use and Notice Provisions. The number of times the government used
FISA-acquired information in criminal investigations and prosecutions.
 FISA Title IV – Use of Pen Register and Trap and Trace (PR/TT) Devices. The number
of orders—and the number of targets under those orders—issued under FISA Title IV.
 FISA Title V – BUSINESS RECORDS. The number of orders—and the number of targets
under those orders—issued under FISA Title V.
 National Security Letters (NSLs). The number of NSLs issued and the number of
requests for information made under those NSLs.