On the other hand, the latest revelations may be an "inspiration" for making up[0] such stories. As the demand for ominous surveillance themed news seems to be rather high right now, I guess it's one of the easiest way to gain wider attention by small publishers. After all most of the tabloids work this way, don't they?

[0] I mean, they might not be totally made up, just written in a way that suggests more than is really going on.