What is the defense commonly offered for the scope of the PRISM surveillance program?

• A. It targets only foreigners.
• B. It only accesses public data.
• C. It does not collect metadata.
• D. It is voluntary.

Answer: (A)

The main idea behind this defense is that the program is focused on foreign targets and foreign intelligence, not on surveying U.S. citizens. Proponents argue that PRISM is designed to collect information about people outside the United States, with U.S. data being incidental and subject to minimization procedures to protect Americans’ privacy. This framing rests on the legal framework that governs foreign intelligence collection (such as FISA) and the idea that gathering data to track non-U.S. actors is what justifies the breadth of the program, while attempts are made to limit domestic data exposure.

That’s why this is the best answer: it directly addresses the scope justification—the claim that the surveillance effort concentrates on foreigners rather than domestic surveillance. The other options don’t fit that defense: the program is not presented as accessing only public data, nor as not collecting metadata, nor as voluntary—these do not reflect the commonly cited rationale used to justify its reach.