Is privacy dead?

We can hope that consequences of intelligence agencies running amok will motivate them to dial back their operations

“I am not a crook.” This infamous statement was broadcast over live television by US President Richard Nixon during the 1970s when he was suspected to be involved in spying on rival party campaign headquarters. Ironically, it was his next sentence, “I earned everything I got” that proved more truthful since he was forced to resign when White House audiotapes revealed his involvement in a cover-up. The topic of ‘national security’ was used multiple times to hinder the investigation into Nixon’s involvement.

If Nixon’s people were willing to plant physical bugs in order to gain political advantages, it’s reckless to assume that instant access to global data today won’t be exploited. US administrations, along with their Five Eyes partners, have taken it upon themselves to intrude deeper into the personal lives of their citizens along with perceived threats around the world.

This month, the Russian-based Kaspersky lab has exposed new complex cyberespionage tactics conducted by the West. The Kaspersky report implied that the NSA hides spyware deep within hard drives produced by popular manufacturers such as Toshiba, Seagate, etc., allowing them to spy on the world’s computers. Some of the countries that are highly targeted include Iran, Pakistan and Russia, due to their nuclear programmes. The report mentioned that the techniques used were similar to those of Stuxnet, a cyberweapon that was used to attack Iran’s nuclear programme. The Stuxnet worm was a joint effort between Israel and the US.

US-based tech firms have suffered immediate drops in business since the leaks began in 2013. When a government has possession of a large amount of data, it poses a threat to progress as well. The impressive civil rights advancements over the last century would have faced much stronger resistance from governments had they been armed with the tools that the present-day powers have amassed. Changing the status quo will prove difficult when they can read your messages and track every movement.

Regarding the time-tested ‘national security’ justification, the NSA only claims 54 instances which have contributed to the US government’s understanding of terrorism activities. Ensuring that your nation is protected from attacks is an understandable responsibility. However, the NSA appears to be going above and beyond that duty. The agency targeted a Brazilian oil company, Chinese universities and the World Bank. Those headlines were bold, but are damaging when coupled with the discovery of a 2009 US intelligence report, which discusses stealing proprietary information from foreign targets to evaluate usefulness for the US industry. The recently retired NSA head is selling his services for a rumoured amount of $1 million per month.

The combined negative effect that this news is having on the US tech industry, media and personal sense of freedom is significant. Nearly two years have passed since Edward Snowden began leaking details of NSA capabilities and leaders have yet to respond with any meaningful reforms. We can hope that the consequences of intelligence agencies running amok will motivate them to dial back their operations, but there are no signs of that thus far. For now, we can only be thankful that the details of their deceit are finally available and open to public scrutiny.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th,  2015.

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