One of the running jokes in the 1980s was how the former Soviet Union spied on its private citizens. As comedian Yakov Smirnoff used to joke: "In Soviet Russia, TV watches you!" But here in America, we were all safe from the prying eyes of the government.
Fast forward to 2012, when the
U.S. government actually has the tools and capabilities to spy on all
its citizens. These eyes go well beyond red light cameras. Right now, the government is tracking the movements of private citizens by GPS, reading private citizens' emails, and possibly even reading what you're saying on Facebook.
It does so all in the name of law enforcement and Homeland Security, of
course — but whether or not that makes you feel safer is up to you.
Does a new Utah facility really monitor your emails?1. The NSA is building a massive data center in Utah to read every email you'll ever send.
Many of us are aware that little of what we say on social networks is really private. But you'd think your emails would be safe from prying eyes — especially those of your government. Not so, once the government completes work on a top-secret Utah data center reportedly built to spy on civilian communications.
Does a new Utah facility really monitor your emails?1. The NSA is building a massive data center in Utah to read every email you'll ever send.
Many of us are aware that little of what we say on social networks is really private. But you'd think your emails would be safe from prying eyes — especially those of your government. Not so, once the government completes work on a top-secret Utah data center reportedly built to spy on civilian communications.
The $2 billion facility, slated to be complete by September 2013, is allegedly designed to be able to filter through yottabytes
(10^24 bytes) of data. Put into perspective, that's greater than the
estimated total of all human knowledge since the dawn of mankind. If
leaked information about the complex is correct, nothing will be safe
from the facility's reach, from cell phone communications to emails to
what you just bought with your credit card. And encryption won't protect
you — one of the facility's priorities is breaking even the most
complex of codes.
