My phone has been ringing on a regular basis with dozens of calls from internet users who are freaked out over the news of all the government-sponsored spying, and desperate for some simple answer that will let them put a stop to it. I have tried my best to be patient with all these callers, but few of them are willing to accept that putting a stop to Big Brother snooping through your personal business will not be a simple task.
To quote one bank’s advice: “When you’re finished with your online banking session, we recommend three simple steps to protect your personal information: Number one, log out of your account. Second, close your browser. And then, three, charter a seafaring vessel to take you 30 miles out into the ocean, and throw your computer overboard. Yes, online banking security is as easy as one-two-three. Chase is committed to making your banking experience enjoyable, trouble-free, and, above all, safe.” Actually, that is a fake opinion piece from Karen Seubert, a fictional privacy and security expert writing for The Onion, but this “advice” does a good job of voicing the genuine frustration of computer support people who are swamped with thousands of calls from people panicked about the loss of their privacy online. The truth is that the erosion of your personal privacy is nothing new.
Few people today remember that back in the 20th century Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy accurately characterized consumer privacy issues as a red herring. He said, “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.” Those familiar with Scott’s politics know he is not one to promote diminishing of individual privacy rights but was simply acknowledging existing realities.There are ways to prevent your private communications from being snooped. There is one fellow who was able to do this for years by getting rid of cell phones and internet then moving into a cave in Tora Bora, and only after he moved to a more upscale neighborhood near Islamabad was he found. To date I have not heard a single complaint about online snooping from the Amish community, so there is another possible refuge. Russia’s agency responsible for the Kremlin security is now buying old-fashion typewriters. Using any modern communications conveniences is going to create records of your activities.
The Electronic Frontier Organization has put together an informative web page at prism-break.org where internet users concerned about privacy may learn more about secure software and encryption. Anyone willing to devote many hours of their time to the subject is welcome to use the resources found on this web site. I do warn everyone there are no simple solutions.
It will come as little comfort to most people, but it is very unlikely anyone is actually reading your mail or listening in on your phone calls unless you are a “person of interest.” I for one believe the volume of data being collected far exceeds the ability of current technology to analyze it. What is more likely is that agencies such as the NSA are for now simply storing everything they can get their hands on. In his book titled “Three Felonies a Day” civil rights lawyer Harvey Silverglate says that everyone in the United States breaks some law everyday, and if the government takes a dislike to you for any reason, then they will dig into your permanent record and find something to use against you. This is the biggest fear many civil libertarians have with regards to governmental snooping.
Someone on Twitter with a good sense of humor offered up a reasonable compromise. They suggested that it was wrong for the government to eavesdrop on all of us, but if they would add spam filtering along with virus detection and removal to their snooping, “then we’ll call it even.”
Reporter contributor Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with more than 20 years IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted through his web site at SMAguru.com.