Recently, classified documents were obtained by the Washington Post concerning the U.S. government tapping into the Internet and phones of American citizens as a means of spotting terrorism and espionage.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wasn’t happy about the actions the National Security Agency and FBI were taking on phones, stating last Thursday that the government’s collection of Verizon Wireless phone records was a massive invasion of Americans’ privacy.
Verizon is the main phone service noted in the secret documents, but the company hasn’t issued a statement to the public. Instead, the company’s executive vice president, Randy Milch, sent a memo to employees telling them to comply with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court last Thursday, according to a report by CBS News.
In a news release from U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., last week, the congressman and 19 other colleagues demanded answers about the government seizure of phone records, as it becomes much easier to identify individuals with the information collected.
“The federal government has a troubling history of infringing on the civil liberties of Americans,” Jones stated in the release. “The existence of such a broad database of information associated with individual citizens is absolutely unacceptable. With this blatant misuse of power, our right to privacy has been further eroded.”
Jones — who signed the Patriot Act in 2001 after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 — denounced the document on Monday, stating it should be reviewed in front of Congress.
“After I voted for the Patriot Act in 2001, I found more issues that affect civil liberties of the innocent American,” Jones said in an interview with The Free Press. “This is why I have never voted for reauthorization after 2001.”
While the government deliberates on actions to be taken when it comes to the nation’s privacy, there are tactics people can use when it comes to protecting themselves and their personal information. Although there isn’t much one can do when it comes to phone records seized by the U.S. government, online information and on citizens’ computers can be protected — to a degree.
Michael Rogers, an information technology tech at East Carolina Computers, has been in that line of work since 1996 and has operated with computers since 1985.
“I tell people to make sure their antivirus programming is up to date, have some kind of operational firewall and never open files from someone you don’t know,” Rogers said. “That one email attachment can wind up hurting you.”
Rogers also advised about the best antivirus systems available, in his opinion. While Norton Antivirus was Rogers’ top choice, for those who would rather use a free antivirus system, he said AVG, AVAST and Microsoft Security Essentials were also very effective.
Although Rogers gave advice on how people can protect their privacy, he said there is no completely foolproof plan. Precautions can be taken, but depending on the experience and perseverance of a hacker, it can sometimes go for naught.
“If someone wants to get in your computer, they can get in it,” Rogers said. “Really, it depends on how much effort they’re willing to use.”
Junious Smith can be reached at 252-559-1077 or Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at JuniousSmithIII.