Tempora

Tempora is the codeword for a computer system used by the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). It collects most internet communications from fibre-optic cables. The data base of messages can be searched later as required. The system went into action in autumn 2011.
Tempora uses intercepts on the fibre-optic cables that make up most of the internet. It gets large amounts of internet users' personal data, without any individual suspicion or targeting.
The existence of Tempora was revealed by Edward Snowden. He is a former American intelligence contractor who leaked information to former "Guardian" journalist Glenn Greenwald in May 2013. This was part of Snowdon's revelations of government-sponsored mass surveillance programs. Data collected by the Tempora program is shared with the National Security Agency of the United States.