Project Levitation
| Project Levitation | |
|---|---|
| Operation codename | Project Levitation |
| Participants | |
| Planned by | Communications Security Establishment |
| Executed by | Communications Security Establishment |
| Countries participating | Canada |
| Timeline | |
| Date begin | 2012 |
Project Levitation was a mass surveillance initiative by the Communications Security Establishment of Canada. The project monitored up to 15 million uploads and downloads per day from more than 100 free file-sharing websites, such as RapidShare and SendSpace.[1][2] The target of the project is said to be extremists.[3]
Documents that were leaked by Edward Snowden exposed the project in 2015 through reporting by The Intercept and CBC News. Experts later questioned its effectiveness because of the large amount of data.[3][1]
In 2015 the CSE would not confirm or deny if the project is still under operation.[4]
References
- ^ a b "CSE and Project Levitation: Is Big Data a Deterrent to Terrorism?". NATO Association of Canada. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ "Canada's CSE spy apparatus clogged with 'Glee' episodes while searching for extremists". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ a b "CSE's Levitation project: Expert says spy agencies drowning in data and unable to follow leads". CBC News. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ "Canadian spy ops targeted global file-sharing services, drowned in 'Glee' episodes". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 13, 2026.