First direct evidence of illegal surveillance found by the FISA court

The document below is the full text of a brief article from the Oct. 12, 2011 edition of the Top Secret “SSO News,” an NSA electronic newsletter. It includes the first confirmation – and the only known details – of an Oct. 3, 2011 ruling in which the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court held that the NSA was using illegal methods to collect and handle the emails and other internet communications of American citizens and green card holders. Much remains unknown about the case and its resolution, which is the subject of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The intended audience would be familiar with the NSA's internal jargon and acronyms. Here is a brief glossary of terms. The article's author has been redacted by The Washington Post. NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds