Is Perfect Citizen national security, or Big Brother in disguise?

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). Perfect Citizen is being developed to protect power grids, water supplies and other resources vital to national security from cyber attacks. Public Citizen is reassuring internet security to some, and a disconcerting intrusion to others, who see its massive automated NSA surveillance of American companies and citizens as Big Brother.

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NSA increases its reach with Perfect Citizen

The Perfect Citizen story broke Thursday within the Wall Street Journal. The NSA, the Journal reports, will embed sensors in the computer networks of critical organizations that are alerted to activity that may signal an imminent cyber attack. Phase one of Perfect Citizen can be executed by Ratheon, a defense contractor awarded $ 100 million for the task. Perfect Citizen is an intrusion by the NSA into domestic affairs for some industry and government officials who know about the program. For others, NSA surveillance is a long time coming from the only agency in town with the technology and know-how to do the job.

Public companies get access to NSA data

The Journal article said that older computer networks intended before Internet security was an issue could be the focus of Perfect Citizen. Everything from air-traffic control to subways are run by many of those networks. These networks are more efficient after being linked online, but have become sitting ducks for cyber attack. Perfect Citizen will collect intelligence the NSA said it will share will all companies to use for optimizing Internet security.

Can the NSA be trusted like a Big Brother?

Perfect Citizen, perhaps due to its Orwellian title, makes some people uneasy. The primary concern, PC World reports, is that Perfect Citizen is just the prelude to the NSA's eventual monitoring of all domestic network activity. 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.

Discover more info here:

wsj.com

www.nsa.gov

pcworld.com