In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks , the NSA created new IT systems to deal with the flood of information from new technologies like the Internet and cellphones . ThinThread contained advanced data mining capabilities . It also had a " privacy mechanism " ; surveillance was stored encrypted ; decryption required a warrant . The research done under this program may have contributed to the technology used in later systems . ThinThread was cancelled when Michael Hayden chose Trailblazer , which did not include ThinThread 's privacy system
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
National Security Agency