The NSA Wouldn't Let Us in This Building (But We Found Out What's Inside)

If you think the National Security Agency (NSA) isn't interested in your information, you should take a road trip out to see the massive, nondescript, concrete buildings they operate in the sleepy town of Bluffdale, Utah.
Called the Utah or NSA Data Center, it may be one of the best representations for what the NSA considers to be its mission for the future: bulk online data collection. Although the NSA turned down our request to tour the facility with our cameras, we were able to talk to Pete Ashdown of the ISP provider XMission, who toured the facility as it was being built in 2012.
"The NSA Data Center is essentially server space, where they have large rooms with racks of servers," says Ashdown, who toured the buildings as a part of Utah Data Center Consortium, a group of public and private stakeholders interested in Utah's data center industry.
At first Ashdown was excited to see what the NSA was building, but found out they were pretty tight lipped about details.
"The questions they would answer were very banal. But, we were able to calculate the capacity by counting the generators. Each of those generators was a two megawatt generator and they had over thirty of them," said Ashdown. "I think a megawatt can service 1,000 homes."
When Ashdown left the facility, he began to digest what he saw recalling what former AT&T engineer and NSA whistleblower Mark Klein revealed in 2004: An NSA intercept room at the AT&T headquarters in the San Francisco Bay area.
"All the data flowing through AT&T at the time was going in and nobody knew what was going on inside," said Ashdown, who also says he was told the Utah Data Center is not connected to the internet all all.
"I started to realize that it is just a data collection point. That they are collecting and storing as much data off the internet and telephone networks that they can. And they think that if you ask for a warrant later to look at the data that's okay," said Ashdown.
Thanks to the USA Freedom Act, in November 2015, the NSA lost the ability to directly hold information about the phone calls of millions of U.S. citizens. While the change is significant, the NSA can still collect and store your communication from the internet and social media.
"If you trust the government is going to do the right thing I think you're alone in that respect," said Ashdown.

[@magnoid]

"a lot of people would say, well I'm not a criminal, I don't have a problem with it".... but new laws are created much faster than they are removed, and with laws at the federal, state, county, and city level, I would bet that the majority of Americans are in violation of some law or another. With this type of bulk data collection, the government could selectively dig up the "dirt" on people it wants to prosecute (i.e. dissidents).

[@VeniVidiVid]

+magnoid www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/1594035229 "The average professional in this country wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes home, eats dinner, and then goes to sleep, unaware that he or she has likely committed several federal crimes that day. Why? The answer lies in the very nature of modern federal criminal laws, which have exploded in number but also become impossibly broad and vague. In Three Felonies a Day, Harvey A. Silverglate reveals how federal criminal laws have become dangerously disconnected from the English common law tradition and how prosecutors can pin arguable federal crimes on any one of us, for even the most seemingly innocuous behavior. The volume of federal crimes in recent decades has increased well beyond the statute books and into the morass of the Code of Federal Regulations, handing federal prosecutors an additional trove of vague and exceedingly complex and technical prohibitions to stick on their hapless targets."

[@rogersmith8480]

That's right......

[@roarkjeffries2979]

You're not spying on Americans they're spying on assholes. And there seems to be an abundance of that Target Rich environment let's say

[@OlStinky1]

Very brave and much appreciated of Mr. Ashdown to put his face out there and share this information, wouldn't be surprised if his business got randomly selected for IRS audit for his trouble

[@dc2008242]

hahaha, the NSA doesn't like you spying on their secrets.... how ironic....

[@ligeskityler]

dc2008242 HAHAHAHAHA

[@rockets4kids]

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

[@matthewwarner2091]

Exactly! Everything has to be a conspiracy…let them do their job. Get in your car and drive to Area 51.

[@slhines7]

These "Data Centers" are popping up all over the USSA.

[@fortusvictus8297]

+slhines7 And China, and Russia, and Saudi Arabia...and people still want to focus hate and anger on the US...google Tocqueville effect.

[@slhines7]

Which is implemented by what country or countries?

[@fortusvictus8297]

slhines7 seriously, google is your friend unless you live in a country which bans it. Tocqueville effect. Every major country has these 'data centers' popping up, China actually leads the world in them with Russia spinning up fast as it seeks to become a major ISP base for the region. Google my friend. People only hate on the USA because we have it so good things like this even register on peoples radar.

[@xl000]

the NSA legally has access to every microsoft, google, facebook, apple and amazon datacenters. they already have the private encryption keys, and they can basically go read every byte of data that lies on their hard drive, with or without the assistance or help from the owner.

[@whatabouttheearth]

None are like Utah Data Center

[@AprilWatters]

I Literally have been pointing Abuse out since the 70's. People might think it's insignificant,, but, the Abusive "family" is a RAGING Sign of Abuse on a larger scale! It's the Micro of the Macro that people tend to dismiss like it's nothing,, well,, it's Grown up! Abusive relationships come in ALL sizes! And if people didn't take them seriously and do anything to address the issue and turn it around,, they helped perpetuate it. If "parents" can abuse their own children,, so can the "gov" to its' people. Abusive "parents" MAKE Innocent children GUILTY! It' doesn't get any clearer than that! It's a machine,, designed to keep things going and make more criminals,, I lived it, studied it all my life. I was the criminal for being Healthy and smart. Everyone made the abused the criminal and bailed out the abuser,,

[@83joonior]

I think a couple issues aren't mentioned, in regards to the bulk collection of data: 1) How do we know information regarding affairs/illicit drug use (not trafficking) wouldn't be used by either a ranking official or employee to blackmail someone into doing something? 2) Could a ranking official or employee use this to acquire trade secrets to get an economic/business advantage? Imagine someone in a position like Dick Cheney was, former CEO of Halliburton who then became Secretary of Defense, getting a hold of information about a competitor to Halliburton who might be developing a new weapon or some other action that would affect stocks?

[@180life4]

Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer was blackmailed using Patriot Act provisions. He was with prostitutes multiple times and was caught and then resigned.

[@83joonior]

Matthew Hawkins Good example. The same tactic could be used to dig dirt on presidential hopefuls. Maybe it already is.

[@VeniVidiVid]

+Agghh And here's another one to add to the list *WHERE'S THEIR F*CKING WARRANT?*

[@fortusvictus8297]

+VeniVidiVid Don't need a warrant for information you volunteer to send out publicly. Do credit card companies need a warrant to collect all your purchase data and sell it to the highest bidder? Does your ISP need a warrant to collect all the data on where you go on the web and what kind of sites you visit and how much data you use and when?

[@fortusvictus8297]

+Agghh Lets ask Gen Petraeus.

[@blurglide]

60 megawatts of backup power! That's enough to power over 50,000 homes. So figure a city of about 130,000 people or so. That's an enormous heat load as well. Think about how many billions of dollars of computer processors is required to radiate 60 MW!? A typical intel Itanium server processor is roughly 100W at full scoot, so that's about 600,000 of them, minimum!. That's roughly at least one processor running for every 520 or so Americans. WTF!?

[@jcwebb540]

+blurglide Exactly. It is cooled by water. If Utah decides to turn off the water, that facility is sunk. That is why I favor nullification & secession as the first steps to bringing an end to governments.

[@eggroll9000]

+blurglide Itanium processors? Try GPUs. The purpose of this facility is to house an exascale supercomputer that stores and attempts to crack all the ciphertext GCHQ/NSA have been collecting. GPUs are the fastest/most efficient at that job. Also, 60 MW isn't even the full capacity, according to Wired: "And it will have an extraordinary appetite for electricity, eventually using about *200 megawatts*" (search "The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center" to find the full article)

[@fortusvictus8297]

+blurglide Why give into the assumption that all this is focused on the US citizen? How much does that translate to for every person NOT in the USA?

[@blurglide]

Fortus Victus Sure, it catches stuff just passing through the usa, but it captures everything originating in the USA

[@AprilWatters]

It's like the Nano thermite used to take down the WTC generated a Lot of heat

[@Praisethesunson]

Long term(like three generations from now)I think this kind of mass storage of people's digital footprints will be incredibly useful. As far as historical records go there is some great stuff here. Although I'm concerned we're gonna end up not being able to look at these records 150 years from now because the viewing format will be different than what we use today.

[@KODoch48]

louis43233 You’re a perfect example of Tesla’s observation on the problem of scientists that “think deeply” ... NOT “clearly”! (Geez)

[@studinthemaking]

I heard that Utah date had 800,000 square feet of floor space? That about 20 acres!!! Are the walls made of poured concrete poured into forms and then the the forms are amen down OR are they pre cast concrete poured off site and than taken to site and installed?

[@ZeroFortyFive]

What do you say to people who says: "If you don't have anything to hide, blah blah..."?

[@33iknow]

+ZeroFortyFive They have pictures of you and your children... NAKED!

[@zdrux]

+ZeroFortyFive Ask them for their email password, I'm sure they have nothing to hide.

[@anzwertree]

+ZeroFortyFive I forget who said it first, but this argument is a lot like saying, why care about free speech when you have nothing to say.

[@anzwertree]

***** This is a giant argument from ignorance. We shouldn't gamble with our liberties for the presumed assurance of a little peace and security. Just because we don't personally see why losing privacy would be a bad thing doesn't tell us shit. How could this data fall into the wrong hands? That would never happen. It was only circumvented by a single disillusioned contractor. When you build powerful toys, you create powerful liabilities. This is what is wrong with this world. It's filled with cowards who would sacrifice anything for the promise of safety for themselves and their own. Nothing else matters.

[@bwillan]

+ZeroFortyFive Benjamin Franklin said it best with this famous quote "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

[@sherri99516]

Great post!

[@officergregorystevens5765]

Tuesday's 93-degree heat meant lots of power was needed to air-condition the skyscrapers in lower Manhattan. So at 10 a.m., a worried Con Edison - New York's public utility - asked AT&T to draw electricity for its call-switching computers at 33 Thomas St. from AT&T's own diesel-fueled generators. That was a routine request, but then disaster struck. During the attempted changeover, a sudden surge of electricity knocked out several key devices known as power rectifiers, which failed to switch AT&T's computers from Con Ed's power to AT&T's diesel power. Instead, AT&T's computers began to draw electricity from a battery-operated backup system. Negligence also played a major role. AT&T admitted Wednesday that when the attempted power shift took place, no one physically checked to see that the system was operating on diesel turbines - a routine procedure. Had they checked, they probably would have noticed the system was running on a battery reserve that lasts only about six hours. Also, audio and visual alarms at the switching center apparently went unnoticed. Still, the crash never would have happened had AT&T been able to switch back to Con Edison's power grid at 4:30 p.m., as planned. www.telcodata.us/view-switch-detail-by-clli?clli=NYCMNYBWDS3 It's a switching building... a giant router.

[@officergregorystevens5765]

And from a report I found.. Author’s address: Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Department of Computer Science and Engineer-ing, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, U.S.A.AT&T, 33 Thomas Street, NY, NY 10007, U.S.

[@traceymcconville9344]

WOW !!! Imagine the amount of $$$$ that have put into these programs when people are homeless, starving, Etc - It is a DISGRACE Data Storing Matters MORE Than Human Beings - The Premise Behind This Is So, So EVIL !!!

[@sickoftheleft5434]

You may not be a criminal but what about your enemies? Got a corrupt cop or judge in your area that could be blackmailed into taking you down regardless of your guilt? Speak out against your government much? You can be taken down if you become a target using this facility.

[@sunnywakefield9254]

BUT WE GOT IN ANY WAY...LOL

[@reighfried36952]

"sleepy town of Bluffdale, Utah." Not asleep for long until they take the government down.

[@skl27]

I would actually really like working for the NSA just because it's one of the most massive projects ever

[@finerbiner]

Who do you fear more, the Government or multi nationals? There are excellent reasons to believe both are way too powerful.

[@dertythegrower]

+Larry Burke Really, Anyone who has zero passion to listen & learn about other cultures, has a serious amount of money to corrupt employees, and has a huge obviously biased agenda... most politicians today fit that bill, world wide. Rich, agenda driven, culturally uneducated political people... they all need to be shit canned (looks at congress and senate) *Lobbyists*, aka legalized politician bribery, needs to go for sure -- as well as the political parties around the globe not having *term limits*. Old rich clueless people should not be deciding our federal laws, they are out of touch and society has clearly pointed this out many times lately. Those 2 things (lobbying & term limits) being unchanged for decades have corrupted the hell out of the American system.

[@chbrules]

+Larry Burke Corporations are literally created by government. Therefore, government is the most dangerous. Business people can do what to me, exactly? Put ads in my face and annoy me with spam?

[@finerbiner]

chbrules The owner of Capital is the holder of power. A report recently came out that showed that the richest 35 people in the world hold as much wealth at the poorest 3.6 billion. There is no way the 35 can produce anything in the same stratosphere as the amount of work needed to justify this. Some of this effect is due to govt. I would also say that a global market and automation are at least as much a factor.

[@chbrules]

Larry Burke Do you support the Labor Theory of Value?

[@finerbiner]

chbrules I don't really ascribe to any theory that is as narrow as that. I'm not looking to see how much field each person plowed today or anything like that. Economics is not pure science even though economists would like you to think that. It has been accepted economics that automation will always create new jobs/opportunities to replace the tho ones lost. That has not been working so well in our economy for quite a while. I am just trying to get people to not get so entrenched in dogma that pragmatic ideas get lost.

[@PHUSHEY]

This costs lots of $$$....little do people know that this data will eventually be stored overseas in some 3rd world country where costs are even cheaper ....hence The Cloud.

[@cypher31337]

3:00 💯

[@aztlanplay]

If you are an entrepreneur, and have a business, you likely have bright ideas (proprietary information) that is being stolen from you by those in control of this! Likewise, your put in the slow lane so you can't compete effectively!

[@themagus5906]

Yeah, like, you have a developed a method of turning sewage into oil. You will be sandbagged or ELIMINATED by the government. The only...wait...there's someone at the door.....Holy shit who are you guys? xxxxxxxxxx

[@xl000]

The NSA should have allowed you to enter the building and plug whatever you want in whichever ethernet port or USB port you found.

[@michaelcooney9368]

Conservatively, with audio to text conversion and transcript generation, it is easily feasible that a transcript of every phone call made in America if not the world by every citizen for 15 years exists. Might be engineering possible now with good compression to archive mp3s of every phone conversation for many years.

[@jamesvignali6074]

Bummer for all the private data server warehouses.

[@crashmagnetmusic3035]

They are using all this Data to teach and build an A.I. system, there is no other reason.

[@_Diggler]

Basically, this is a huge choke point of data of the internet.

[@thedailystruggle1810]

Edward Snowden is a Hero, if it werent for him we wouldnt have any level of privacy.

[@coreybabcock2023]

He is a patriot and a hero

[@mryeti1887]

He is an actor. The NSA is located in an area of MD called “Snowden.” They made him up.

[@sunnywakefield4659]

OH YOU WILL RETURN MY VIDEOS !!!!

[@crazyeddy808]

do you see the dirt! there is a lot of underground space! that hole hill is loose dirt!

[@noahnothing333]

the construction workers for all these government buildings might know something

[@telesniper2]

the dead know nothing

[@jamesvignali6074]

You might as well be using a slide rule if you are relying on a private data warehouse server.

[@AprilWatters]

THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO GET FIT,, FAST

[@douglasdees795]

The government wants to do the right thing..define the right thing in a lose lose situation. Sacrificing some privacy for group security is essential. How far is too far

[@12dollarsand78cents]

Fucking love X-Mission!

[@coreybabcock2023]

Snowden is a hero

[@cygnus1129]

"The people are patriotic" Lmao meanwhile the guys in charge of oversight at Area 51:"why didnt we think of that one"

[@AgnesCongdon-xk8hr]

You build it, they will be challenged to damage and corrupt it.

[@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies]

You think maybe there's a connection between the NSA building in Bluffdale, UT (a pile of raccoon shit on the side of the road 25 years ago) and Google choosing Provo, UT to get Fiber? Maybe they wanted to make sure all those patriotic and religious Utahns had unlimited speed access to porn?

[@blackbulletbike]

Me and a bunch of bullet bike riders stopped at the base of this place and multiple police escorted us off. Fun time. Scary too

[@kryptk.6]

Data centers are servers spaces,jeez

[@fortusvictus8297]

Unfortunately this is another example of 'Reason' not being applied in earnest. The direct implication of the reporter of this video is that the NSA is an organisation that serves only to spy on the American citizen, you asked for a tour of the secure facility but not so much as a mission statement as to its purpose? I'm sure they have one and would give it to you whether you liked it or not. Also, there is alot of information for comparative analysis on this type of facility as the US is hardly the only place with them if you bothered to apply 'reason' outside the USA.

[@fortusvictus8297]

***** Do you not have ANYONE in your life to show you attention? Or are these fits accompanied by unsightly fevers as well?

[@goosebumps1334]

Holy shit, the interviewer looks exactly like one NPC in GMod..holy shit.

[@jamesvignali6074]

This make all the private data server warehouses obsolete within a couple years.

[@johnmercer8558]

Look at who ran the Hammer program outside the NSA collection.

[@ya00007]

Did you ask them how accurate the movie ENEMY OF THE STATE is?

[@AdrianDucao]

I would love to work for CIA or NSA since they have the biggest projects, biggest funding, and coolest hardwares

[@grampsradio]

Snowden is a patriot!

[@kmtforchina8916]

Just like what they do to our phones!

[@cheezenip2737]

How can you collect data off the internet when you are air gapped from the internet and not connected?

[@jvolstad]

I'm a retired Hog.

[@SoapinTrucker]

LOL! There may be superfluous reasons WHY the Data center "came to Utah", but one has to wonder, could there be any connections to the world's largest genealogical library in SLC, LESS than 30 miles away? ( Important to data transmission latency)

[@HotboxedCoffin]

Funny how you laugh at the guy and demand answers of your own. Sod off

[@edmondov]

Maybe this will make the population use technology less and converse in person like the old days

[@spystyle]

I wonder what they (physically) use to store data ? Do they have some kind of super hard drives ? Like giant tape drives or something ? LOL. Surely they aren't storing all the data ion the world on regular mechanical hard drives ?

[@HotboxedCoffin]

I’ve heard government tech is 20 years ahead of civilian tech.

[@hawkermustang]

You got to have faith.

[@Exchange_IDs]

I was told that security is like "Area 51" for the NSA data center. What does that mean?

[@HotboxedCoffin]

Wtf do you think it means genius

[@Exchange_IDs]

@@HotboxedCoffin times have changed now

[@zedekathorin]

A system built on secrecy is a generator for great destruction such a System is SPECTRE. Captain Jesus END OF LINE

[@Talsomfa]

like the cops spying on your cell phone with out warrants.

[@chiraqfinley8165]

Paul looks like Eli Manning Lol

[@DeLoreansgarage]

Xmission.com is my is and they have my back when it comes to this stuff

[@jamesvignali6074]

How are the Chinese spies going to surf the NET after the NSA data center is completed. What will happen to Google stock shares? What will happen to Microsoft stock shares? What will happen to Apple stock shares? This is horrible!!!

[@fortusvictus8297]

The NSA would be a great place to work for if you don't mind bureaucracy I suppose. The issue does merit alot of discussion about potential for abuse as it could be massive, but on the other hand, why isn't everyone out with pitchforks for the Credit companies? They collect massive amounts of data and store it and it can also be queried for everything from shopping patterns to where you are located at a given time yet people are cool with those malicious people having it. The NSA probably has much better class of people working for them than those credit card companies, doubt patriotic Americans wake up everyday saying 'Hmm, what can I do today to spy on my neighbor and ensure my kids are spied on their entire lives.' Get real guys.

[@visho8979]

If you're not doing anything wrong then you shouldn't be worried. I

[@kellysmith1552]

I come from a town like the government the police make up the rules as they go go to Ohio on vacation leave on probation

[@robertsullivan7680]

Only 40 folks work here

[@charlespechuls5873]

I trust them folly

[@garylyons3036]

I know that if you speak the truth big brother will come down on you for speaking truth so hold on to truth some day it will not be wrong to speak truth..

[@marcustriton6978]

us vs them

[@zavindur]

This video seemed very vague and unspecific; is there any thing commonly referred to as "evidence" to backup the assertions and accusations? About spending a ton of money in a state that is "patriotic" - what politician doesn't pour cash to those who support them? People saying they're like sheep to allow jobs and a huge project to take place in their backyard--- have you seen anywhere on planet earth that isn't covered with sheeple or those that wouldn't do the same? Really, i just felt dumber watching this, usually ReasonTV has higher quality content.

[@shalom3920]

THE FBI wouldent let me bomb a city, but i did it anyways

[@roarkjeffries2979]

Bluffdale I was looking for that one. Anyway yeah this ain't no joke either. Pretty freaking crazy. However I must say this. If the NSA doesn't have America's back and you don't then who would or what would do that job? It's a damn good question so moving forward. Oh here comes the street sweeper never mind. Haha suckers. I don't mean the NSA.

[@raulsanchez9795]

If you trust the goverment is going to do the right thing , you are alone... Snap benefits at Texas.

[@prometheanevent]

Geeks with modems will be no match for “the uncooperative” with__________ (fill in the blank) 😉

[@shamgarcahn9980]

We think we have nothing to hide until something is torn away from us. 🇺🇸 🔫 👶 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 🌎

[@jamesvignali6074]

Sell all my stock shares in Google, Apple, Microsoft, Real Tek , all my other stock shares in stocks that are dependent on data server warehouses.

[@robertgrijalva8166]

About the alien thing, will talk about that two ,they can't hurt me tried but any way goes back to guam, Brigitte, stretch arm stretch the whole sillness not so silly. ,say the spider infused jeeps

[@thomasfrotton876]

Oh my god I never thought about till right now holy shit so anything I've ever written or said is stored and can and will be used against me😣🤤😢u cannot even fix comments you've made damn I'm completely fucked!!! I will be round up for sure...

[@TODAYNEWS914]

FLATEARTHNEWS

[@niteexplorer9934]

if you like or down something on a youtube channel is that stored lol i just got to know

[@sacha4566]

Body language..... lies

[@drtinc.6769]

KUNI AHYE NATO.

[@leifxeniaberg]

Until 12:00 a.m. on the start of the next day.... This is the LAST warning !!!! Or YOU ALL know what is COMING !!!!! If you ALL deny My Warning... "then it was nice knowing you all, take care and see you ALL in front of THE WHITE THRONE OF JUDGEMENT>>>>> Good bye !!

[@LisaOutrequin]

Mormon FBI. Hmmm. Gonna get our ancestors into heaven and line us all up in a row!

[@sunnywakefield4659]

SO 503 IS UTAH ?

[@sunnywakefield4659]

OH THE F.B.I ..AND WASHINGTON ...LOL

[@sunnywakefield4659]

WHAT THE HELL IS THE UNITED STATES THINKING ???

[@andrewdewar8159]

I think you should be glad that the NSA is trying to keep you safe and look after the national interests of your country, just my opinion. Its countries with dictators that do bad things, eg take other people's countries. NSA might even be helping the other people's countries I guess ?

[@arvont1]

Go move to China if you want Big Brother listening to everything. But this is America, and we have way bigger problems that are going unsolved because of the $ tens of billions spent on this bs data collection instead of roads, bridges, power plants, the school system, and everything else that is crumbling, all while the taxpayer foots the bill for dystopian construction projects like the one in this video.

[@sunnywakefield4659]

503...HAS ALWAYS BEEN WITH ME....THEN WHO IS 404 ?

[@sunnywakefield4659]

F.B.I...AND WASHINGTON TOOK MY COMMENTS...AGAIN !!!

[@moneygetter4826]

Africa

[@AdrianDucao]

I would love to work for CIA or NSA since they have the biggest projects, biggest funding, and coolest hardwares

[@HotboxedCoffin]

Hate the organization, love the toys and paid vacation hahaha