by Bruce A. Gorcyca

Created on: January 07, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

You decide... Well over twenty years ago when I worked as a rookie U.S. Federal Agent in Miami, I watched George Orwell's 1984 and thought it was merely an entertaining movie. Today in 2006 I look back and can sayit was nothing less than prophetic thanks to President Bush and his "Patriot Act", This law, in my humble opinion should be more aptly named the "Citizen Control Act" and with good reason.

Fortunately I am no longer employed in the dark world of government law enforcement, but even back in the 1980s we had the technology of "infinity microphones" and the like that would allow us to dial into any American home at whim over regular telephone lines and listen into any conversations that may be going on within 30 feet of the family's telephone - without ever making it ring. By law, court orders were required, but few agents bothered with the paperwork. After all, who would know? I recall speaking with a DEA agent assigned to night shifts that was so bored staking out a suspect that was seldom home, that he dialed around town at random to get his jollies listening in to dozens of American bedrooms for an assortment of grunts, groans, and quite a few family arguments.

That was then and this is now. Technology has come a l-o-o-o-n-g way my friends. Today our friendly feds actually have the ability to reside right in your house full time 24-7-365 via your family computer. Of course they're on the lookout for terrorists mind you, but oversight is not a strong point of the Patriot Act. With a quick search our "homeland security" boys and girls can quickly get a detailed summary of all your e-mail traffic as well as a list of every web site you ever visited, or a listing of your banking and credit card transactions, or any other on-line activity you ever pursued,including any and all searches you ever made on a search engine. In fact, they can and do sureptiously insert "key logger" programs into your computer that will monitor and record every single key stroke youmake and automatically send them a "detailed report" on a regular basis. Considering, that they already had the ability to monitor your phone and cell conversations, and can get your life history from just your social security number, what real privacy do you have left in this "land of the free"? Not much actually.

But getting back to your home computer No need to wonder how they can get into your computer that you think is well-protected with firewalls and an assortment of "anti-spyware" software because

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