Thousands of people in US cities took to the streets on Thursday to protest the National Security Agency (NSA)’s telephone and Internet surveillance programs. A movement called “Restore the Fourth” said the protests aimed to raise awareness of privacy right violations and the government’s illegal surveillance programs. Protests and matches took place in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco. At a square near the White House in Washington DC, 200-300 people waved signs demanding that government respect privacy rights. Security in big cities like New York and Boston was strengthened to prevent terrorist attacks.