You have to understand the simplest notion of the NSA's architecture. They built a global electronic vacuum cleaner. Everything gets sucked up. Search "bluffdale nsa". That facility was built for a reason - untold amounts of storage and processing power.

The NSA collects everything and stores it. Some could argue that it is just metadata being stored. Or they comb the meta data and if the metadata provides a critical piece of information. Another software program will analyze that and it might at that point, kick it out to a human analyst.

Now imagine this flow of data and information (which can be converted into intelligence) as a powerful, rushing river. Upstream from you and unbeknownst to you, someone cut a sluice into the river and is siphoning off a select current of water for their own use. Upstream. No one knows where it leads, except "over the mountain". And they can do with the "stolen" water as they see fit.

This peeled off stream of water is the complete, total information awareness (search this phrase as well) information on 20MM "enemies of the state", which could be accessed in a SCIF, somewhere around the WH.

It's never been about terrorism as the terrorism we see IS a product of TPTB to manufacture public consent for hegemonic wars and ever increasing surveillance powers. The NSA/GCHQ are global HR depts to monitor and subjugate the masses into demoralised docility.

Good point, because the NSA spying has never even worked for terrorism. It's probably not even for terrorism it's probably to watch every one so certain special internterests can look at people they're concerned about.