I wasn't scared. I don't text. I use a VPN, proxy IP and then tor. I have a burner phone. I use PGP. But when my customer told me about the taps he installs for diverting all Internet traffic from his Verizon NOC, I finally got scared. This is real folks, ad PGP is broken. We need the encryption arms race to start NOW! Here's what he wrote to me a few days ago: let me tell you ...the scariest thing to our civil liberties going forward is the NSA ...in the name of national security and preventing terrorism .... it is frankly quire scary ... big brother is just around the corner ..... crazy thing is ...nobody seems to care !!! we could put a stop to this if people would wake up and demand it be stopped !!ok ... So how does it work .... a lot of this is public knowledge ... except for the part about how it operates in a place like Verizon or ATT ....well.... as it stands ... both ATT and Verizon W have both granted almost unlimited access to their networks .... and that is big ..every other carrier is using these networks (ie, sprint, Tmobile etc don't really have networks ...or very tiny ones anyway ... they basically piggy back off VZW (Verizon)/ATT) ...ATT and Verizon land line (includes MCI and a lot of old Bellsouth etc) basically have the entire country's data and voice traversing their networks at one point or another. Think about it ..even if you have a cable modem .... to get to yahoo or whatever website ...your data will most likely go though Vernon or ATT at some point ...Now, the NSA has chosen to set up shop in switching centers around the country ( i work in such a place) ....they essentially have taps into the big data stream ...essentially ... it mirrors 100% of what goes through and at this point and time ....as i understand it ... they are looking for key words, patterns etc in the name of security .....yes, they even look through your social media ...creating graphs and patterns ... if you do anything to get on that hot list ...everything you do and say will be recorded .....fast forward a bit now ....this is NOT good enough for our friends at the NSA .... they have decided ...and are currently creating a 1 million square foot data center in Utah .... to gather and store 100% of every piece of data that goes through ...from anyone to anyone ....in case you are not aware, this includes PHONE CALLS ...your phone calls are 90% VOIP (IP based) already ...making the storage and recording very easy. So what about the little protection called encryption you say ...well they used to say it would take a million years to crack AES 128 bit encryption if you tried all the combinations ..... here is where it gets even more scary ..the NSA has acknowledged they can't just crack these encryptions !! so what are they planning on doing with all this encrypted data they are storing ..... WELL ..apparently ..they are on the brink of super computers ...with processing powers i can not explain b/c the numbers are so big it is incomprehensible ... they are designing them for one purpose ...to use brute force attacks to crack any encryption .... thus ..every word you ever say or anything you ever type will be stored on their data center and they can , at will, crack your encryption and listen to anything you ever say or write with no warrant and no oversight ... This shit is scary ..and this is real .... and both political parties have signed on ..there is nobody objecting to it ..it is all legal ..and there is nothing we can do .... save the public gets outraged and congress changes the laws. If you doubt any of this ...research it .... you will find most of it is available info .... but i can add to that when i say ....i can show you where they are actually tapping the network ... i helped install the device and run fibers to tap panels that mirror your data and phone calls. ***note ...i may be rambling ...but this scares the hell out of me ... living under shit like this freaks me out ...so when somebody wants to know why I want my assault rifles ...and why anybody would think government tyranny is possible ....it is, it is already here. Get yourself some guns brother ... enough for you and your neighbors .... we may need it b4 these elites try to take our freedom from us ...both parties ... although Barry may be the worst to date , since he is bought and paid for in a way never seen before ..... ugh ... nobody (except maybe the NRA) is actually interested in protecting our freedoms and civil liberties ...and if we do not protect them ... our children, grandchildren will not know what freedom taste like. What i have expressed is 100% accurate (in regards to NSA). Now feel free to alert the masses ..but do NOT use my name, company or position please... people in high places ... particularly in my own company would not approve of this message ...as it may scare customers away ..which is what most of them care about!!! They don't give a dam about politics or personal freedom and civil liberties .....So, how do you feel about being monitored? Like i said, for now you and i are likely ok ..but they are storing this information ...so if they want it later ..they already have what you said years ago ..... NSA= Never Say Anything ... Enough for now good sir, be well brother .... destroy this e-mail. ***** Modzi