The Government is Spying On You Through Facebook Right…Now | Singularity Hub

The Government is Spying On You Through Facebook Right…Now | Singularity Hub: "Controlling information and spying on citizens were hallmarks of totalitarian regimes in the 20th century. Today, even moderate democracies are getting in on the action. In the last decade, as communication has shifted from traditional landlines, phone calls, and postal service to cell phones and email, governments around the world have struggled to maintain their ability to hunt down criminals and dissidents. As the world went wireless, intelligence gathering agencies have adapted and upgraded wiretapping skills, and major telecommunications companies have helped them do it. Nokia, Sprint, Ericsson, Facebook, Google – think of a business that helps people talk and exchange information and you’ll think of a company that has helped law enforcement agencies look through private data in search of the bad guys. Not such a big deal, right? I mean, we all want to hunt down the bad guys. Yet it’s becoming clear that not only is the loss of our privacy considered acceptable collateral damage, but giving backdoor access to governments make a business’ data more vulnerable to the bad guys as well."