Well it turns out the NSA isn't only interested in tracking down terrorists and law breakers. In fact the NSA itself has broken federal law against tracking visitors to its websites even though the CIA abandoned that practice years ago due to its illegality. http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1675272,00.html It's not even clear what the NSA was doing placing persistent cookies (against the law) on every website visitor's computer. Those cookies wouldn't expire until 2035, meaning the tracking wasn't a normal use of cookies. So when Bush tells you the NSA is only out to get the bad guys, don't believe it! They're tracking everyone. Just like the DEA has done in the past. Just another face of BIG BROTHER, watching YOU!
If they want to track you, they will. They have many other ways, but this one happened to be illegal, and was only now made into an issue. The other ILLEGAL ways they do is by having secret spy stations setup in the UK & Australia that listen in on every kind of communication, filtering ALL the web, mobile phone, email, land lines, faxes traffic in the world. Because the listening stations are not on US soil, they thiink it skirts the law, and they're safe. But it looks like Congress is gonna get on their asses (and Bush's) over this.
I wonder if they can track people and see if they're talking about getting drugs here. I guess they can, but don't for some reason. I hope I didn't give them any ideas.
Each of these free utilities used every other day will keep the system clean and secure. A good firewall that prevents unauthorised outgoing transmissions is also a must (I use Sygate). ZoneAlarm Firewall freeware ~ http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp Surf Trail Washer freeware ~ http://www.1-abc.net/0011/ Ultrawipe freeware ~ http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Utilities/File_Cleanup_Utilities/UltraWipe.html Crap Cleaner freeware ~ http://www.ccleaner.com/ a-squared a2 freeware ~ http://www.hijackfree.com/en/ Adaware SE personal freeware ~ http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ Spybot Search & Destroy freeware ~ http://www.safer-networking.org/
Yeah, but if you're already a target, no utility will keep them from tracking your Internet activities. Extra strong encryption software would help hide the content of emails. But I'm pretty sure the US gov't holds the keys to all American made software these days! (you know, another one of those "secret" laws Bush passed illegally). You'd probably need the latest Russian encryption to keep out the spies.
This page is a great resource for those concerned with Bush's skirting of the FISA court... http://mediamatters.org/items/200512240002 It takes every rightwing and mainstream media point and then upgrades it by providing an additional anal oriface.
Skip don't fool yourself, the CIA and DEA STILL are spying on American citizens who did nothing, and are still monitering websites and who goes on them every single day, this whole story is such a flop, they want the American people to think that organizations like the CIA NSA and DEA would never spy on us and if they did it would explose in their faces like this story just has, but in truth these gov. organizations have all been spying us using the internet and cookies in the past, do so right as we speak, and will continue to do so.