The computer networks of public and private entities will now be monitored by “Perfect Citizen” a federal program headed by the National Security Agency (NSA). The purpose of Perfect Citizen is to prevent cyber attacks against resources considered vital to national security such as public utilities and power plants. The program is disconcerting to some who see large-scale NSA surveillance as Big Brother, while to others Perfect Citizen is a reassuring safety net.
Source for this article: Is Perfect Citizen national security, or Big Brother in disguise? by Personal Money Store
Is Perfect Citizen too much authority for the NSA
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the Perfect Citizen story. The Journal reports that the government’s chief eavesdroppers, the NSA will deploy a set of sensors within the computer networks of entities deemed critical that is triggered by spikes that could be warnings of a cyber attack. A classified contract worth up to $ 1 million was just lately awarded to Ratheon, the defense contractor for phase one of Perfect Citizen. Perfect Citizen is an intrusion by the NSA into domestic affairs for some industry and government officials who learn about the program. Others say it the NSA surveillance is long overdue Internet security for preventing an emerging threat, and the NSA is the only agency with the gear and experience to handle the job.
Public companies get access to NSA data
The Journal article explains that Perfect Citizen will be applied to older computer networks that were designed before Internet security was an issue. Every little thing from air-traffic control to subways are run by many of those networks. Since they have been linked to the Internet, they’re more efficient, but extremely vulnerable to cyber attack. Perfect Citizen will collect intelligence that the NSA said it will share will all companies to use for optimizing Internet security.
Can Big Brother be trusted to behave?
A lot of people are uneasy about Perfect Citizen, maybe because of its Orwellian title. PC World reports that they’re concerned that Perfect Citizen is just getting started and that all domestic network activity will eventually be monitored by the NSA. Access to the computer networks of entities like public utilities might also provide the NSA with access to details concerning the power usage or travel plans of private companies and individual citizens. For now, not a soul really knows if Perfect Citizen can enforce national security without trampling on the rights of private citizens.
More data available at these sites:
wsj.com
www.nsa.gov
pcworld.com
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