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Simple Online Actions That Cause The NSA To Track You

Simple Online Actions That Cause The NSA To Track You

Privacy is still a very real problem in the U.S. with our own government spying on us. The rumors had been out there for years, but Edward Snowden’s revelations only made common knowledge what many people already suspected.

Possibly the biggest invader of our privacy (after Google and Facebook) is the NSA who combs through emails and internet searches from countless Americans every day. But there are some things that the NSA looks for more than others, so, according to a new report, if you want to avoid NSA scrutiny, you may wish to consider avoiding taking certain online actions.

What kind of actions? Oh, simple things like looking for alternatives to Microsoft Windows. If this doesn’t scare you into wanting to avoid Windows, I don’t know what will. What other reason could the NSA be concerned about people using non-Windows systems except that Windows systems are easier to hack, exploit, and spy on?

Similarly, the NSA finds going to the Linux Journal website a problem. Linux, in case you aren’t familiar with it, is an open-source operating system (meaning a certain company does not own and control the operating system in the way that Microsoft and Apple own and control their operating systems). Being open-source is unlikely to be the problem; the problem to the NSA is the Linux has some of the strongest security controls of any operating system available, making Linux systems some of the most difficulty to hack. Do you see why the NSA might consider the Linux Journal website an “extremist forum” (as if it is “extreme” to want to avoid being hacked and spied upon)?

The NSA also has issues with you searching for information about online privacy or using encryption software such as Tor which allows a person to browse the internet anonymously because its process prevents trackers like the NSA from knowing the geographical location of the person doing the internet browsing. For an organization who thrives on knowing the intimate knowledge of its targets, this kind of untrackable online communication would be a huge frustration.

With Trump President-elect in the U.S., it’s hard to say what the future of the NSA in America is. Some people expect that he will dismantle the NSA; others expect that he will turn it into his own personal spy service. At this point, it’s impossible to say. What can be said is that, if you want to be private and also avoid the NSA, your only option is to avoid the internet altogether.

How do you avoid NSA spying in your life? Tell us below.

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