How the NSA Deal Could Kill Google
The company once known for its âdonât be evilâ motto is now in bed with the spy agency known for the mass surveillance of American citizens.
The National Security Agency is widely understood to have the governmentâs biggest and smartest collection of geeks â the guys that are more skilled at network warfare than just about anyone on the planet. So, in a sense, itâs only natural that Google would turn to the NSA after the company was hit by an ultrasophisticated hack attack. After all, the military has basically done the same thing, putting the NSA in charge of its new âCyber Command.â The Department of Homeland Security is leaning heavily on the NSA to secure .gov networks.
But thereâs a problem. The NSA and its predecessors also have a long history of spying on huge numbers of people, both at home and abroad. During the Cold War, the agency worked with companies like Western Union to intercept and read millions of telegrams. During the war on terror years, the NSA teamed up with the telecommunications companies to eavesdrop on customersâ phone calls and internet traffic right from the telcosâ switching stations. And even after the agency pledged to clean up its act â and was given wide new latitude to spy on whom they liked â the NSA was still caught âovercollectingâ on U.S. citizens. According to The New York Times, the agency even âtried to wiretap a member of Congress without a warrant.â