In case you've been out of circulation for the last couple of weeks - Connecting the Dots on PRISM, Phone Surveillance, and the NSA's Massive Spy Center | Threat Level | Wired.com and Prism Whistleblower 'Sought Better World' should get you up to speed.
Now the supporters of this form of spying argue that if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear but I'd have to disagree. For example, large organisations including Governments and companies don't exactly have a track record in protecting your personal information despite the Data Protection Act. Some reasons include the Act not being applicable to organisations outside the UK, data loss (like when some civil servant leaves a laptop on the train), leaks or maybe the fact you overlooked the tiny little tick box with the 6pt text saying unless you tick/untick they can furnish 'trusted third-parties' with your information.
It gets worse though because it's difficult to believe that any of the data they collect will have any effect on national security. Let's say you're a terrorist. You don't need much in the brains department to understand how to get a bit covert with mobile phone usage - a quick read of an Andy McNabb novel will solve that one. If you want to be more anonymous on the Internet then it's difficult to beleive you would have missed these:
How To Get Out Of PRISM and Avoid NSA Spying | SiliconANGLE
Opt out of PRISM, the NSA’s global data surveillance program - PRISM BREAK
Equally, it seems unlikely you'd start a new Facebook page discussing drug smuggling, gun running and explosive devices. Security services readily admit that criminal usage of technology is on the increase so it seems more likely that PRISM will deliver increased junk mail and cold-calls due to leaked data and we'll catch some stupid terrorists with poor reading skills and limited understanding of technology.
Why don't I feel very comforted?
Now the supporters of this form of spying argue that if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear but I'd have to disagree. For example, large organisations including Governments and companies don't exactly have a track record in protecting your personal information despite the Data Protection Act. Some reasons include the Act not being applicable to organisations outside the UK, data loss (like when some civil servant leaves a laptop on the train), leaks or maybe the fact you overlooked the tiny little tick box with the 6pt text saying unless you tick/untick they can furnish 'trusted third-parties' with your information.
It gets worse though because it's difficult to believe that any of the data they collect will have any effect on national security. Let's say you're a terrorist. You don't need much in the brains department to understand how to get a bit covert with mobile phone usage - a quick read of an Andy McNabb novel will solve that one. If you want to be more anonymous on the Internet then it's difficult to beleive you would have missed these:
How To Get Out Of PRISM and Avoid NSA Spying | SiliconANGLE
Opt out of PRISM, the NSA’s global data surveillance program - PRISM BREAK
Equally, it seems unlikely you'd start a new Facebook page discussing drug smuggling, gun running and explosive devices. Security services readily admit that criminal usage of technology is on the increase so it seems more likely that PRISM will deliver increased junk mail and cold-calls due to leaked data and we'll catch some stupid terrorists with poor reading skills and limited understanding of technology.
Why don't I feel very comforted?