science

Unified Targeting Tool

Unified Targeting Tool is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Unified Targeting Tool rather than just read about it. In short: The Unified Targeting Tool (UTT) is a software program used by NSA to select targets for surveillance. It has gained attention as one of the programs exposed by Edward Snowden.

Key takeaways

Unified Targeting Tool belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Unified Targeting Tool to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Unified Targeting Tool from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Unified Targeting Tool (UTT) is a software program used by NSA to select targets for surveillance. It has gained attention as one of the programs exposed by Edward Snowden. It is mentioned as part of the PRISM program, and in other documents. The screen captures show that the program is a web-based application accessible through an intranet, Internet Explorer 6 is shown in one sample. The tool has the ability to query at least one database, NYMROD, which appears to be a database of names. The screen captures suggest that the tool has the ability to filter by nationality (it is possible to enter multiple nationalities), location, and "target extension" (the given example is "D Diplomatic"). The analyst is also able to enter a classification string, and include a declassification date, in the sample given: 20320108 is code for January 8, 2032. There is a category labeled "Intelligence Purpose Information," in which the analyst is able to select a geopolitical area, topic and subtopic. The screen captures suggest that the tool gives the analyst the option of suggesting how often to forward new intelligence, and enter a reason for any higher priority requests. The tool has the ability to build queries regardless of whether the target's name is known. The target may be a person, but that may not always be the case. The analyst must enter a short justification, and select a foreignness factor. Foreign factors include: "person is a user of storage media seized outside the US," "the person has indicated that he is located outside the US," "In direct contact w/ tgt oversees, no info to show proposed tgt in US," among others. The presence of a ZIP code field on one of the released screen captures suggests that the tool may have the ability to collect within the United States, and not be limited to foreign intelligence gathering. There is a field for "Special Authorization," presumably for targets that the analyst needs special approval to select, such as US persons, or foreigners presently located within the US. The screen captures suggest that the tool requires the analyst to enter a start and end date for the authorization, and a separate end date for the targeting itself to cease. According to still undisclosed NSA documents from the collection of Edward Snowden, the UTT replaced the telephony targeting system OCTAVE in 2011.

Gallery

See also 2013 mass surveillance disclosures PRISM XKeyscore

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Unified Targeting Tool

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Unified Targeting Tool claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Unified Targeting Tool before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Unified Targeting Tool ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Unified Targeting Tool

In research: Unified Targeting Tool appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Unified Targeting Tool in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Unified Targeting Tool is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American secret government programs, Mass surveillance, National Security Agency, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Unified Targeting Tool outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Unified Targeting Tool in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Unified Targeting Tool means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Unified Targeting Tool out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Unified Targeting Tool in simple terms?

The Unified Targeting Tool (UTT) is a software program used by NSA to select targets for surveillance. It has gained attention as one of the programs exposed by Edward Snowden.

Why does Unified Targeting Tool matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Unified Targeting Tool?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Unified Targeting Tool.