Are The CIA, FBI, and Government Watching me?

Governmental monitoring is something that you won’t even know that you are under observation. Many of the government agencies such as the NSA, CIA, and FBI can get access to user devices by in-built backdoors.

It means that security agencies are capable of doing the following things:

• They can get access to your smartphones
• Can go through your text messages
• Can stream your videos
• They can capture your pictures
• Can steal your personal and confidential data
• Can read your emails without your consent.

Recommendations: It’s highly necessary to use VPN behind your Internet connection to encrypt all of your data.

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Governments monitoring you and your online behavior can be done so covertly that you won’t even suspect that you are under any observation. Most governments make use of their intelligence agencies to sneak and snoop on civilians, which gives them leverage over citizens, which they did not have before.

 Many government agencies such as the NSA, CIA, and FBI can get access to user devices by in-built backdoors. An example of this was recently seen when Microsoft found an NSA- inspired backdoor vulnerability in Huawei laptops.

It is because of backdoors like these that governments and other third-party agencies can dig up information on you. With the number of identity thefts rising to 16.7M in the US in 2017, protecting your privacy is essential.

This article aids you in the understanding of mass surveillance and dives into the following:

• Why do governmental agencies spy on people?
• What tell-signs should you look out for?
• How can you tell whether the CIA has been spying on you?
• How can you prevent Governments from spying on you?

Why CIA, FBI & Government Spy’s on People?

In recent years, many organizations such as the NSA have been in the limelight when it comes to keeping a watchful eye on the people. However, this isn’t just limited to the USA but includes many countries whose governments, along with the intelligence agencies, are doing their best to keep citizens under surveillance.

Some other parts of your life that you give away access to includes:

• Access to your smartphones
• Can go through your text messages
• Can stream your videos
• They can capture your pictures
• Can steal your personal and confidential data
• Can read your emails without your consent

However, not all surveillance is a blatant attempt by the governments to intrude into the lives of their people. Sometimes, there are legal reasons for collecting data on criminals to avoid terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, most of the time, the reasons are illegitimate. More often than not, agencies such as the CIA, FBI, and government spy on people to invade their privacy for the sole purpose of collecting information.

The higher authorities work with significant technology companies to ease their access to personal information. These tech companies usually put up a fight when it comes to giving up data, as seen with ExpressVPN, but then agencies like NSA compel them to give the information.

The previous year, Edward Snowden revealed to the world, an NSA program known as ‘’Optic Nerves’’. “Optic Nerves” was a vast surveillance program. Under this program, webcams were capturing images every five minutes from Yahoo user’s video chat. These images were well-kept and stored for future use. Furthermore, it is likely to expect that among 3%, and 11% of the captured images contain unwarranted nudity.

Tell-Tale Signs to Lookout For if The Government’s Spying on you:

It is difficult to predict and guess when and how the government spies on its citizens. Up to this point, we’ve only speculated about techniques that the government might be employing.

However, to aid your understanding, we will discuss ten signs which show that the government, CIA, and FBI officials are spying on you. The signs include everything from the devices you possess to something as futile as sharing your name with a stranger:

1. Getting Labeled at the Airport:

You might get marked at the airport at times. It is essential to take notice of this if it happens quite often. The reason behind being stopped at the airport is a sign that your name is on the government watch list.

Many people often report that they were not allowed to board their flight due to their controversial post on social media. Though people just cannot be blacklisted for any unreliable information, social media posts are not as directly overlooked as you might think.

2. High Data Usage than Expected:

If you’re a typical Wi-Fi user, but still somehow your data usage is increasing at an alarming rate, then it is probably a sign that someone is spying on you. The most probable causes for this espionage is the NSA or CIA and FBI, who might be using your data to monitor your activities.

According to USA Today reports, the local police will also use the same practice to spy on people.

3. An Unmarked Vehicle Parked Outside Your House:

If you are observing an unmarked vehicle parked outside your house, then don’t take this matter lightly. It might be possible that the CIA or FBI officials are spying on you. Government agencies use unmarked vans for surveillance quite frequently.

However, don’t go into a frenzy of worry straight away. Not all unmarked vehicles are a sign of concern. However, there are some key factors which indicate that it’s a surveillance van.

4. Lights On Your webcam

As a webcam user, you might know it quite well that webcam is on when the light next to it glows.

If your webcam light is glowing even if you are not using it, then don’t consider it as a minor glitch. It might be possible that your webcam was hacked or it might even mean that the FBI is spying on you through your camera, which for younger readers of this article, might ring a bell or two, due to the popularity of the meme created.

Be aware of any unmarked vehicle with painted windows parked outside your house for several days, and usually, there is no sign of people entering and exiting the car. The agencies generally use such vehicles for spying.

5. Weird Noises During Phone calls:

If you hear some odd sounds on your phone like clicking, popping, static, then it is clear that a third party is listening in on your conversation.

Such type of sounds is prevalent whenever a wiretap is connected to a phone. It is advisable to pay close attention to any music or noises your phone is making while you are not using it.

A dreadful fact to keep in mind while checking for any strange noises on your phone calls is that the NSA has a complete record of every phone call you’ve made, along with the contents of your conversations.

Some other methods of espionage that governmental agencies utilize integrate devices used every day, such as television sets, which is why you should be cautious if you have any of the following:

• You possess a Smart TV:

Having a TV with smart technology is everybody’s choice, but Smart TV won’t improve your privacy and security levels at all. As per the USA Today reports, WikiLeaks discloses that now CIA can break off into Samsung Smart TV sets.

Formerly, it was just the smartphones or computers who faced such break-ins but, now this has extended to Smart Television sets as well, which has people worried, to say the least.

Although Samsung has taken this matter very seriously, the company’s officials have told news sources that protecting their user’s privacy is their top priority. They are instantly looking into this matter and hope to find a solution for it too.

However, for personal safety and security, users must be more careful regarding what they say when they watch their favorite show on the TV. Or when they watch the daily news in front of the telly.

• Your devices aren’t updated:

Keeping your device updated should be a part of your cyber hygiene routine. If you aren’t updating your device, you’re making your device much more vulnerable to breaches and other cyber-attacks.

The reasoning behind this is simple. Out-of-date software is more likely of getting compromised, and moreover, there are increased chances that authorities are checking in and spying on you than ever before.

Take into consideration the fact that, in 2015, it was revealed that 95% of Androids could get hacked with only one text message. Apple also goes through a similar situation, but then they made an update remotely.

Most of us don’t like updates because they seem annoying and irritating, and let’s be honest over here- Take up too much time! However, to safeguard our privacy, we shouldn’t neglect it and do it as soon as a notification pops up on our screens.

•  You are Sharing Your Cookies:

The tiny bits of data which get stored in the browser trace user’s online activity are known as ‘cookies.’

These cookies, despite, being small bits of data, are of immense significance to the user. They contain information which includes everything from the user’s password to a purchase they might have made on Amazon. The awful thing with cookies is that when they enter massive databases so, an organization can quickly identify your offline identity and later sell your information to an advertiser too.

According to the Huffington Post, two main groups have access to massive databases. One includes NSA along with local police departments, and the other is the private sector, i.e., advertising companies.

• You open suspicious Emails frequently:

In this age where cybersecurity is at high risk so, at one point or another, all of us receive some suspicious and doubtful emails. But the essential thing is whether we open these emails or not.

When you click on any such emails so, you invite the sender on your device. Either it’s the hacker or a governmental agency trying to invade your privacy.

The most important thing is that you must delete such emails without reading them. You should also make sure that you don’t reply to any such emails because your reply confirms that your account is active and it invites further espionage.

• Two Identical Names on The Government Watch list:

It is possible that if you might have done nothing at all, but still you are on the government watch list. The reason for this is probably because another person with the same name as yours is on the government’s watch list.

For example, back in 2004, there was a man named John Lewis. He was on the government watch list, simply because he had a common name. Every person having a common name has come across issues at the airport usually; they are stopped with alarming regularity when they are boarding a flight.

Is the CIA watching me Through my phone or Cam?

As previously discussed above, the Central Intelligence Agency, commonly known as the CIA, doesn’t have the cleanest track record when it comes to respecting privacy.

According to a WikiLeaks press release, brought forth on 7^th March 2017, the CIA had been using television sets, cellphones and other devices of everyday use as a conduit for spying on people.

The press release brought into light thousands of files which revealed undisclosed cyber-tools. The discovery of said cyber-tools, which despite being heavily guarded were leaked, have had a significant impact on the U.S government’s relationship with tech giants such as Google.

According to WikiLeaks, the files contained detailed information about the hacking methods that the intelligence agency had developed. The files mentioned malware with names like ‘Assassin’ and ‘Medusa’, which were utilized to steal data from iPhones; control computers who utilized Microsoft operating system, as well as making Samsung TVs secretly function as microphones.

Keeping this concrete evidence in mind, it might be safe to be aware of the fact, that is that the CIA keeps tabs on you. However, as far as access to your camera is concerned, there aren’t many sources to vouch for the fact that the CIA watches you as you sleep.

However, in the revelations made by Edward Snowden, an NSA program called ‘Optic Nerves’ was brought in the light. Optic Nerves made clear that governmental agencies used to spy on people through their webcams.

Keeping the revelations in mind, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Try covering your webcam with a piece of masking tape when it’s not in use, as it helps maintain security.

How can you Prevent Governments From Spying on you?

Adopting protective measures is vital. To avoid being spied on, a user must use a reliable VPN service of their choice, as a VPN encrypts all communication made on a device. A user must avoid opening any suspicious emails they receive by any unknown or known sender.

Furthermore, a user must always be cautious while sharing their location. By sharing location, third parties can easily track you and get access to your data and online activities.

Also, to avoid spying, you must manage your cookies very well. Since agencies and governments have access to databases where the cookies are stored, they can track you in a matter of minutes. Thus, it is essential to follow the protective measure and stay safe and secure.                                                                                                 

So, where do you go from here, onwards?

To think of the future of the cyber-world as a dark place, might be a gimmick to capture your attention, but adopting the safety measures mentioned above makes sure that it never becomes a reality.

With that being said, as a responsible user of technology, you shouldn’t need fables or dystopian lands to get you to be careful in your browsing habits.