NSA Uses Google Cookies to Track Targets

Another reason to be paranoid about them

The National Security Agency is secretly piggybacking on the tools that enable Internet advertisers to track consumers, using "cookies" and location data to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance.

The agency's internal presentation slides, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, show that when companies follow consumers on the Internet to better serve them advertising, the technique opens the door for similar tracking by the government. The slides also suggest that the agency is using these tracking techniques to help identify targets for offensive hacking operations.

For years, privacy advocates have raised concerns about the use of commercial tracking tools to identify and target consumers with advertisements. The online ad industry has said its practices are innocuous and benefit consumers by serving them ads that are more likely to be of interest to them.

Comments

[Dave Krueger]

The online ad industry has said its practices are innocuous and benefit consumers by serving them ads that are more likely to be of interest to them.

This is true of government, too. For example, tracking the public's internet activities allow government to fine tune the list of people it doesn't like so it can make the most efficient use of its concentration and reeducation camps when the time comes.

People should support these surveillance techniques because it will help the government identify them as a non-threat. Believe me, you want the government to have the tools to know that you and your family are "good guys" shouldn't be among the first residents of government internment camps. It's just common sense.

[Invisible Finger]

First class sarcasm. Nicely done.

Anyone who doesn't use the internet is a terrorist.