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  • Hitchhiker's Guide to Privacy Engineering
    • โ“What is HGPE?
      • โš–๏ธWho is this for?
      • ๐Ÿง™โ€โ™‚๏ธPrivacy Engineering
      • ๐ŸŽจCreative Privacy
      • ๐Ÿ”ฎGenerative AI
      • ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ปAbout the Author
  • ๐Ÿง™โ€โ™‚๏ธThe Ethical AI Governance Playbook 2025 Edition
    • ๐Ÿค–Chapter 1 : AI Literacy
    • ๐ŸŒChapter 2 : AI Governance in the 21st Century
    • โŒ›Chapter 3 - Getting Started with AI Act Compliance
    • ๐Ÿš€Chapter 4 : Rise of AI Governance: Building Ethical & Compliant AI
    • Chapter 5 : Introduction to the Lifecycle of AI
  • ๐ŸŽ“Privacy Engineering Field Guide Season 1
    • โ“Decoding the Digital World: Exploring Everyday Technology
    • ๐Ÿ‘๏ธIntroduction: Why Privacy Matters?
      • Age of Mass Surveillance
      • Privacy & Democracy
      • Privacy & Government Surveillance
    • โšกChapter 1 : How Computers Work?
      • Electricity
      • Bits
      • Logic Gates
      • Central Processing Unit (CPU)
      • Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)
      • Motherboard
      • Data Storage
      • Databases
      • Operating System (OS)
      • Computer Code
      • Programming Languages
      • The File System
      • Bugs and Errors
      • Computer Virus
      • Internet of Things (IoT)
      • Cloud Computing
    • ๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธChapter 2 : How the internet works?
      • Physical Infrastructure
      • Network and Protocols
      • Switch
      • Routers
      • IP Address
      • Domain Name System (DNS)
      • Mac Address
      • TCP / IP
      • OSI Model
      • Packets
      • The Client - Server Architecture
      • Secure Socket Shell (SSH)
      • Transport Layer Security (TLS)
      • Firewall
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      • Proxy Server
    • ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธChapter 3 : How Websites Work?
      • HTML
      • CSS
      • Javascript
      • Web Server
      • Browser
      • HTTP
      • Databases
      • Front End (Client Side)
      • Back End (Server Side)
      • Cookies
      • Local Storage
      • Session Storage
      • IndexedDB
      • XHR Requests
      • Web APIs
      • Webhooks
      • Email Server
      • HTTPS
      • Web Application Firewall
      • Single Sign-on (SS0)
      • OAuth 2.0
      • Pixels
      • Canvas Fingerprinting
      • Email Tracking
      • Containers
      • CI/CD
      • Kubernetes
      • Serverless Architecture
    • โš›๏ธChapter 4 : How Quantum Computers Work?
      • Quantum Properties
      • Quantum Bits (Qubits)
      • Decoherence
      • Quantum Circuits
      • Quantum Algorithms
      • Quantum Sensing
      • Post-Quantum Cryptography
    • ๐Ÿ“ณChapter 5 : Mobile Apps and Privacy
      • Battery
      • Processor
      • Mobile Operating Systems
      • Mobile Data Storage
      • Cellular Data
      • Mobile Device Sensors
      • Wireless Connectivity
      • Camera & Microphone
      • Mobile Apps
      • Software Development Kits (SDKs)
      • Mobile Device Identifiers
      • Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
  • ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธPrivacy Engineering Field Guide Season 2
    • โ“Introduction to Privacy Engineering for Non-Techs
      • ๐ŸŽญChapter 1 : Digital Identities
        • What is identity?
        • Authentication Flows
        • Authentication vs. Authorization
        • OAuth 2.0
        • OpenID Connect (OIDC)
        • Self Sovereign Identities
        • Decentralized Identifiers
        • eIDAS
      • ๐Ÿ‘๏ธโ€๐Ÿ—จ๏ธChapter 2 : De-Identification
        • Introduction to De-Identification?
        • Input / Output Privacy
        • De-identification Strategies
        • K-Anonymity
        • Differential Privacy
        • Privacy Threat Modeling
  • ๐Ÿ“–HGPE Story and Lore
    • ๐ŸชฆChapter 1 : The Prologue
    • โ˜„๏ธChapter 2 : Battle for Earth
    • ๐Ÿฆ Chapter 3 : A Nightmare To Remember
    • ๐Ÿง™โ€โ™‚๏ธChapter 4 : The Academy
    • ๐ŸŒƒChapter 5: The Approaching Darkness
    • โš”๏ธChapter 6 : The Invasion
    • ๐ŸฐChapter 7 : The Fall of the Academy
    • ๐Ÿ›ฉ๏ธChapter 8 : The Escape
    • ๐ŸชChapter 9 : The Moon Cave
    • ๐Ÿฆ‡Chapter 10: Queen of Darkness
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    • ๐ŸŽนSoundtracks
  • ๐Ÿ‘พHGPE Privacy Games and Challenges
    • ๐ŸŽฎData Privacy Day'23 / Privacy Treasure Hunt Game
    • ๐ŸงฉPrivacy Quest
  • ๐Ÿ“ฌSubscribe Now!
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  • PRISM Program
  • XKeyscore
  • Boundless Informant
  • Upstream Collection
  • Pegasus Spyware

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  1. Privacy Engineering Field Guide Season 1
  2. Introduction: Why Privacy Matters?

Privacy & Government Surveillance

Government surveillance is the monitoring, collection, and analysis of data or information by a government or its agencies, often without the knowledge or consent of individuals being observed.

PreviousPrivacy & DemocracyNextChapter 1 : How Computers Work?

Last updated 1 year ago

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PRISM Program

The PRISM program was a that was revealed by in 2013. It was operated by the and allowed the agency to collect data from major tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Apple.

The data collected included emails, chat logs, file transfers, and other types of online communication.

The program was controversial because it allowed the NSA to collect data on millions of people without their consent, and it raised concerns about the government's ability to access personal information without proper oversight or safeguards.

In addition to PRISM, Snowden also revealed other government surveillance programs, including:

XKeyscore

Boundless Informant

Upstream Collection

This is a program that allows the NSA to intercept internet traffic as it travels through the internet's backbone. It allows the agency to collect data on a wide range of communications, including emails, chat messages, and file transfers.

These surveillance programs were controversial because they allowed the government to collect vast amounts of data on individuals without their knowledge or consent. They raised concerns about privacy, civil liberties, and government overreach, and led to calls for greater transparency and oversight of government surveillance programs.

Pegasus Spyware

The malware is typically delivered via a text message that contains a link to a malicious website. Once the victim clicks on the link, the malware is installed on their device and can then be used to monitor and record all of their activity, including phone calls, messages, emails, and social media activity.

Pegasus is highly sophisticated and can evade detection by antivirus software and other security measures. It can also be used to remotely activate the device's camera and microphone, giving the attacker access to the victim's physical surroundings.

Governments and law enforcement agencies use Pegasus to spy on individuals, including journalists, human rights activists, and political dissidents.

The software has been linked to a number of high-profile cases of government surveillance, including in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The use of Pegasus represents a significant threat to privacy and civil liberties. It allows governments and other organizations to monitor and control individuals' digital lives, without their knowledge or consent. It also undermines the principles of free speech and press freedom, by allowing governments to target and intimidate journalists and other critics.

Under the program, the NSA could request user data from these companies through a court order issued under the .

This is a tool used by the NSA to . It allows the agency to search and filter vast amounts of data, including emails, social media posts, and internet browsing histories.

This is a used by the NSA to track the amount of data collected through various surveillance programs. It allows the agency to monitor its own activities and to identify areas where it needs to collect more data.

is a type of spyware that is designed to infect and take control of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. It was developed by the Israeli cyber intelligence firm NSO Group and is sold exclusively to government agencies and law enforcement organizations.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
collect and analyze internet traffic
data visualization tool
Pegasus
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๐Ÿ‘๏ธ
secret surveillance program
Edward Snowden
National Security Agency (NSA)
Chinese surveillance state
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