Barney's Blog

Blog archive

NSA: Security Help or Intrusion?

The National Security Agency (NSA) isn't just concerned about government computers -- but also cares about private computer that, if compromised, could harm national security.

The NSA is working on "Perfect Citizen," a system that detects hacks into power plants, transportation systems, health care entities, defense contractors and other critical organization. It also reportedly will help shield Google.

The NSA has always been a highly secretive organization (I reckon it kinda has to be), and this has led to fears of unwarranted intrusion such as through ECHELON, a system that can monitor worldwide electronic communications.

Similar concerns are being expressed towards Perfect Citizen. Privacy advocates fear the system could be abused by current or future administrations to spy on who they deem to be NonPerfect Citizens.

Do you trust the government, or like Eric Schmidt, believe that if you have something to hide you shouldn't be doing it? Send your opinions, if you dare, to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on July 12, 2010


Featured

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.

  • Report: Security Initiatives Can't Keep Pace with Cloud, AI Boom

    The increasingly fast adoption of hybrid, multicloud, and AI systems is easily outgrowing existing security measures, according to a recent global survey by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and exposure management firm Tenable.

  • World Map Image

    Microsoft Taps Nebius in $17B AI Infrastructure Deal To Alleviate Cloud Strain

    Microsoft has signed a five-year, $17.4 billion agreement with Amsterdam-based Nebius Group to expand its AI computing capabilities through third-party GPU infrastructure.

  • Microsoft Brings Copilot AI Into Viva Engage

    Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available, extending Copilot's AI-powered assistant capabilities deeper into the Viva platform.