Can You Escape Big Brother With Anti-Surveillance Apps?

As news continue to break about the rather unsettling NSA surveillance scandal, you may feel your paranoia increasing — and we can't blame you. From what we know now, the effort appears to be incredibly widespread and may involve collaboration between the government and various tech companies (though most of them deny it). There's already talk of paradigm shifts in our idea of privacy — and even of abandoning the concept altogether. But, other than building yourself a WiFi-proof bombshelter and lamenting the state of our society, what can you do about it?

In a thorough piece we highly recommend for any concerned citizen, The Daily Intelligencer highlights two apps that might help you out — Silent Circle and Wickr. Both are getting a lot of attention in the wake of the scandal; Phil Zimmerman told the article's writer, Kevin Roose, that he's "having more fun than I’ve ever had in my career."

But, ensuring total privacy is complicated, especially when your provider might be in on it. Data encryption apps like these two can't always reach the level of data necessary to prevent your phone's location, for example, from becoming known by the powers that be. The dream of living off the grid may be impossible in this tech-addicted world — but hey, you might as well try and protect your privacy, right? (Daily Intelligencer)