NSA Surveillance: New Laptops Allegedly Arrive With Spyware
NSA surveillance may be getting worse and worse. Even after the shocking revelations of whistle blower Edward Snowden, new evidence is popping up everywhere that the NSA is watching everybody.
The purpose seems reasonable enough to supporters of the NSA. They claim they’re watching communications around the world in the effort to find and stop terrorist attacks and criminal activity. Of course, that may not be how it’s actually being used, but they want us to believe they are just trying to protect America from harm.
It’s been alleged that the NSA may be watching more than it should as it taps into practically every form of communication imaginable. They listen in on phone calls, keep tabs on what’s said on instant messengers, watch everything on social media sites, and even watch what happens in MMORPG games such as World of Warcraft.
As intrusive as their practices may be, if NSA surveillance stops another attack like the one on the World Trade Center, the Obama administration says the spying is justified despite the loss of privacy.
However, there may be a new trend in development to help NSA spying. Allegedly, they are now installing spyware on new laptops ordered online, so the instant you turn your new computer on, they’re watching you. The NSA, working with the CIA and FBI, could be intercepting your new laptop, installing spyware on it intentionally, and then sending it on its way.
German publication Der Spiegel stated that shipments may be intentionally diverted by NSA surveillance, where “agents carefully open the package in order to load the malware onto the electronics, or even install hardware components that can provide backdoor access for the intelligence agencies.”
There are programs made to look for and eliminate spyware, such as Spybot Search and Destroy. However, this NSA spyware may be built so deep in the system that common software and free search engines won’t find it.
After all, the US military can still find old information on a hard drive after it’s been formatted several times. Even downloading DVD rips from Bit Torrent sites (which is illegal) can get you targeted as a criminal.
With NSA surveillance getting this extensive, we can only hope that they’re using the information to prevent terrorism like they claim, and not just building dossiers on every single American. Be aware that if you buy your new laptop online, you could very well end up with a surveillance device on your computer
