United States of Secrets (Part Two)

Security expert Bruce Schneier breaks down the NSA's Tailored Access Operations unit, and how it is able to install its own surveillance hardware on commercial computers and devices.

How did the government come to spy on millions of Americans? In FRONTLINE’s “United States of Secrets,” a two-part series from Michael Kirk and Martin Smith premiering May 13 and 20, FRONTLINE tells the inside story of the U.S. government’s massive and controversial secret surveillance program—and the lengths they went to trying to keep it hidden from the public.

How did the government come to spy on millions of Americans? In FRONTLINE’s “United States of Secrets,” a two-part series from Michael Kirk and Martin Smith premiering May 13 and 20, FRONTLINE tells the inside story of the U.S. government’s massive and controversial secret surveillance program—and the lengths they went to trying to keep it hidden from the public.

Ten years later, Nick Merrill still can't discuss the details of the National Security Letter he received from the FBI. If he could, Merrill says, people would be shocked by the implications for their online privacy.

What’s the view from inside Google when it comes to your privacy? Consider the hypothetical scenario that Liz Figueroa, a former California state senator, was offered in a meeting with the company’s founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

When an NSA agent showed up at AT&T headquarters, technician Mark Klein didn't think much of it. But later, he noticed a secret room — and uncovered an infrastructure suggesting that the government was copying all traffic going through AT&T's Internet backbone. FRONTLINE's "United States of Secrets: Privacy Lost" premieres Tuesday, May 20 at 10 p.m. on PBS.

When Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani of "The Washington Post" discovered that the NSA was piggybacking on one of Google's tracking cookies, the company wasn't happy. FRONTLINE's "United States of Secrets: Privacy Lost" premieres Tuesday, May 20 at 10 p.m. on PBS and at pbs.org/frontline.

Security expert Ashkan Soltani explains the NSA's DROPOUT JEEP program, which allows the agency to remotely download data from iPhones, as well as turn on the devices microphone and camera. FRONTLINE animates illustrations on top of the interview.

Security expert Ashkan Soltani explains the NSA's QUANTUM program, which allows the agency to access computers through web browsers. FRONTLINE animates illustrations on top of the interview.