# SYNAPSE **Entity class:** Reported NSA relationship data model **Domain:** Signals intelligence / semantic relationships / graph analysis **Maturity:** Publicly documented through leaked-document reporting ## Definition **SYNAPSE** is the reported NSA data model used to represent heterogeneous identity and relationship types for social-network and community-of-interest analysis. Public reporting describes a vocabulary of approximately 164 relationships, including family, travel, employment, and message interactions. SYNAPSE matters because it demonstrates the move from a single communications edge to a typed, multilayer graph. “Called” differs from “travels with,” “employs,” or “has father”; preserving those predicates is essential to avoid flattening social meaning. ## Relationships - **supports:** [[wiki/MAINWAY|MAINWAY]]-associated contact chaining. - **method:** [[wiki/Identity and Relationship Analysis|Identity and Relationship Analysis]]. - **graph form:** [[wiki/Multilayer Network|Multilayer Network]] and knowledge graph. - **source discipline:** [[wiki/SIGINT|SIGINT]] with enrichment from other authorized sources. ## Sources / Provenance - [Electrospaces — NSA contact chaining and the SYNAPSE data model](https://www.electrospaces.net/2016/02/how-nsa-contact-chaining-combines.html) - [ACLU — NSA contact-chaining memo](https://www.aclu.org/documents/nsa-contact-chaining-memo)