Within
the last couple of weeks, 29 year old Edward Snowden has become famous. He’s not an actor, or singer, or author; his
“fame” came from telling the world that everyone’s privacy is at risk because
the NSA (National Security Agency) has been spying on Americans for years. It’s the job of the NSA to keep the United
States safe from terrorism. Everyone
knew without it being spoken that spying was involved, but most people were
surprised at the extent of this spying.
It’s expected that terrorist groups or people with ties to known
terrorists were probably targets, but no one thought that the private e-mails
and telephone conversations of Joe Public would be compromised.
Anyone
can be a target of the NSA. E-mails are
flagged by certain keywords that are considered “terroristic” in nature, like
“bomb”, “gun”, “shooting”, etc.
Unfortunately, some of these words are used in conversation that has
nothing to do with terrorism, however, an e-mail to “Aunt Sally” that talks
about someone “shooting a video” near your home could lead to suspicion. Not only that, but Aunt Sally will probably be
checked out as part of your “conspiracy”.
Is
there really a threat to our security or are we all simply paranoid? According to the NSA, there have been more
than 50 terrorist threats that have been discovered and blocked (one of which
was targeting the New York Stock Exchange) since the spying program was started
after September 11, 2001. Knowing that
these threats have been discovered and blocked, do you now feel better that the
government is taking away some of your privacy?
Will you re-think some of the wording that you use in your e-mails so
they won’t be targeted? Telling a friend
you went to the movies and you thought the latest hit was really a “bomb” could
be re-phrased, but should we really have to think so hard about our choice of
words? Then consider your phone
conversations; do you ever vent about your frustration with some
politicians? One red flag and all of your
phone records will be reviewed.
