How mass surveillance works and how to protect yourself
20 cards · security
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| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Metadata analysis | Inferring behavior from communication records without content Patterns of life emerge from who, when, where, and how long you connect. |
| Deep packet inspection | Examining packet contents beyond headers to filter or monitor Used for censorship, surveillance, throttling, and ad injection. |
| IMSI catcher | Fake cell tower that captures nearby phone identifiers and traffic Enables location tracking and downgrades that can expose content. |
| Facial recognition | Automated identification or verification from face images or video Enables real-time person tracking; accuracy varies across demographics. |
| Device fingerprinting | Tracking via unique browser and hardware characteristics Fonts, canvas, plugins, and IP combine to re-identify users without cookies. |
| Third-party cookies | Cross-site tracking tokens set by external domains Enable profiling across sites; some browsers now block them by default. |
| Real-time bidding | Instant ad auctions that broadcast user data to many firms RTB shares browsing, device, and location signals widely and repeatedly. |
| Data broker | Company that collects, aggregates, and sells personal data Sources include apps, public records, and purchases; used by ads and police. |
| Mobile ad ID | Resettable identifier for in-app tracking and targeted ads Known as IDFA on iOS and AAID on Android; can be reset or limited. |
| VPN | Encrypted tunnel that hides traffic from local networks and ISPs Shifts trust to the VPN; not anonymity; helps bypass local blocks and throttling. |
| Five Eyes | Intelligence-sharing alliance of US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ Rooted in the UKUSA Agreement; coordinates signals intelligence among members. |
| PRISM | NSA data collection from US tech firms under FISA orders Targets foreign intelligence; disclosed in 2013 by Edward Snowden. |
| Upstream collection | NSA interception from Internet backbone cables and switches Captures transiting communications with provider assistance under FISA. |
| Great Firewall | China’s national Internet censorship and surveillance system Uses DNS poisoning, IP blocking, and DPI to filter and monitor traffic. |
| SORM | Russia’s lawful interception system for telecom and Internet Requires providers to install equipment enabling FSB access and retention. |
| FISA | US law governing foreign intelligence surveillance and FISC Establishes a secret court to oversee electronic surveillance for intelligence. |
| Section 702 | US authority for warrantless foreign intel collection from providers Targets non‑US persons abroad; permits queries of incidental US data. |
| GDPR | EU data protection law with rights, lawful bases, and heavy fines Enforces consent, minimization, access, erasure, and portability. |
| End-to-end encryption | Only sender and recipient can read the message contents Servers hold ciphertext; metadata like who and when remains exposed. |
| Tor | Anonymity network that routes traffic through layered relays Hides your IP from sites and ISPs; use HTTPS to protect exit traffic. |