On a lark I did some digging on the Trailblazer Project. Rather interesting.
Trailblazer Project
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National Security Agency surveillance
Boundless Informant data collection.svg
Map of global NSA data collection
Programs[hide]
Pre-1978
ECHELON MINARET SHAMROCK PROMIS
Since 1978
Upstream collection BLARNEY FAIRVIEW Main Core ThinThread Genoa
Since 2001
OAKSTAR STORMBREW Trailblazer Turbulence Genoa II Total Information Awareness President's Surveillance Program Terrorist Surveillance Program
Since 2007
PRISM Dropmire Stateroom Bullrun MYSTIC MonsterMind (alleged)
Databases, tools etc.
PINWALE MARINA MAINWAY TRAFFICTHIEF DISHFIRE XKeyscore ICREACH BOUNDLESSINFORMANT
GCHQ collaboration
MUSCULAR Tempora
Legislation[show]
Institutions[show]
Lawsuits[show]
Whistleblowers[show]
Publication[show]
Related[show]
Concepts[show]
Collaboration[show]
v t e
Trailblazer was a United States National Security Agency (NSA) program intended to develop a capability to analyze data carried on communications networks like the Internet. It was intended to track entities using communication methods such as cell phones and e-mail.[1][2]
"…The complaint was accepted by the IG and an investigation began that lasted until mid-2005 when the final results were issued."
Note the above date, 2005.
"…The people who filed the IG complaint were later raided by armed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents. While the Government threatened to prosecute all who signed the IG report, it ultimately chose to pursue an NSA Senior Executive Thomas Andrews Drake who helped with the report internally to NSA and who had spoken with a reporter about the project."
So…who was director of the FBI during 2005? Hmm, none other than our friend Mueller. What a coincidence.
"Trailblazer was chosen over a similar program named ThinThread, a less costly project which had been designed with built-in privacy protections for United States citizens.[3][4] Trailblazer was later linked to the NSA electronic surveillance program and the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.[3]"
"In 2002 a consortium led by Science Applications International Corporation was chosen by the NSA to produce a technology demonstration platform in a contract worth $280 million. Project participants included Boeing, Computer Sciences Corporation, and Booz Allen Hamilton. The project was overseen by NSA Deputy Director William B. Black, Jr., an NSA worker who had gone to SAIC, and then been re-hired back to NSA by NSA director Michael Hayden in 2000.[6][7][8] SAIC had also hired a former NSA director to its management; Bobby Inman.[9] SAIC also participated in the concept definition phase of Trailblazer.[10][11]"
Booze Allen again, hmmm. More threads to follow:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_Applications_International_Corporation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinThread
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailblazer_Project