Who Left the Light On?

Big Brother isn’t watching, but the Magic Lantern might soon be. That’s according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spokesman, who in December 2001 confirmed the agency is working to develop a controversial Internet spying technology, code-named Magic Lantern. Magic Lantern would reportedly allow the FBI to plant a key logging device in a ...

Big Brother isn't watching, but the Magic Lantern might soon be. That's according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spokesman, who in December 2001 confirmed the agency is working to develop a controversial Internet spying technology, code-named Magic Lantern. Magic Lantern would reportedly allow the FBI to plant a key logging device in a target's computer via the Internet, eliminating the current need to physically access the computer.

Big Brother isn’t watching, but the Magic Lantern might soon be. That’s according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spokesman, who in December 2001 confirmed the agency is working to develop a controversial Internet spying technology, code-named Magic Lantern. Magic Lantern would reportedly allow the FBI to plant a key logging device in a target’s computer via the Internet, eliminating the current need to physically access the computer.

The FBI’s belated admission must have come as a shock to its new director, Robert Mueller, who in August 2001 told a U.S. Senate committee that he was "not familiar" with key logging technology. It also predictably prompted critics, including at least one U.S. congressman, to hop on the libertarian soapbox.

But if it’s privacy you’re after, a handful of Web sites can help:

web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology allows noncommercial visitors to this Web site to download its Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) software free of charge. PGP is cryptographic software that allows people to exchange secure messages and to secure files and network connections.

www.anonymizer.com
This site helps keep users from being tracked by Web sites and hackers.

www.epic.org/privacy/tools.html
This Web page, hosted by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, is an enormous resource on how to protect against the darker side of cyberspace. It provides links to secure e-mail services, "cookie" busters, and much more.

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