Is Perfect Citizen legit network security, or Big Brother?

“Perfect Citizen” is a federal government program that empowers the National Security Agency (NSA) to monitor the computer networks of public and private entities. 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.

Source of article: Is Perfect Citizen national security, or Big Brother in disguise? by Personal Money Store

Perfect Citizen – more authority for the NSA

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the Perfect Citizen story. 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. A classified contract worth up to $ 1 million was recently awarded to Ratheon, the defense contractor for phase one of Perfect Citizen. Some industry and government officials who learn about Perfect Citizen see it as an intrusion by the NSA into domestic affairs. Others say it the NSA surveillance is long overdue Internet security for preventing an emerging threat, and that the NSA is the only agency with the gear and experience to manage the job.

Intelligence gathered by NSA could be shared

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. Since they have been linked to the Internet, they’re more efficient, but very vulnerable to cyber attack. Perfect Citizen will collect intelligence the NSA said it will share will all companies to use for optimizing Internet security.

Will private citizens be protected from Perfect Citizen?

Perhaps because of its Orwellian title, Perfect Citizen makes a lot of people uncomfortable. PC World reports that they’re concerned that Perfect Citizen is just getting began and that all domestic network activity will eventually be monitored by the NSA. Details about the power usage and travel plans of private citizens may also be collected by the NSA with access to the computer networks of entities critical to national security. For now, nobody really knows if Perfect Citizen can enforce national security without trampling on the rights of private citizens.

More information about this topic at these websites:

wsj.com

www.nsa.gov

pcworld.com