Is The CIA Watching Me? It’s Time To Know The Truth

Is the CIA watching me? Am I being watched by the government? People keep asking these questions now and then.

No one wants their privacy invaded, let alone by a top federal agency like the CIA. But let’s be realistic. Do you think an agency like the CIA has what it takes to watch and monitor every citizen in the country? People should be asking themselves these questions.

Now let’s set the record straight.

Is the CIA Watching Me?

The answer is yes and no. Yes, if you’re a threat to national security. No, if you’re an ordinary citizen who doesn’t have evil intentions or planning an attack. 

The CIA’s responsibility as a security apparatus is to gather, analyze and process information. They don’t have much staff to read emails or listen to every citizen’s call. They would require millions of staff and hours to achieve this. 

What NSA and the CIA do is monitor electronic communications, all forms of it. These include emails, phone calls, social media, and others. And with the help of supercomputers and other state-of-the-art equipment, they can fish out threatening phrases. 

So, unless you’re planning an attack, discussing bombs, jihad, or have bad intentions, chances are the CIA might not even know you exist. But make no mistake; the CIA and other federal agencies can gather data of ordinary citizens. And you may not even know. 

Keep reading for more on this topic!

Why The CIA Is Probably Watching You

Do you have to be a target for the CIA or other government agencies to start watching you? Well, no. Government surveillance on citizens is getting worse as the year goes by, thanks to rising concern about terrorist attacks and crime rates.

Edward Snowden, a whistleblower who leaked shocking NSA classified information in 2013, has made us understand that the government might choose to spy on ordinary citizens.

Edward was a former CIA employee and subcontractor. And by virtual of his 2013 revelation, he became the world’s famous whistleblower. Edward is also currently in exile in Russia.

Advocate believed the citizen’s data the NSA was collecting was for the best interest of Americans. They believed the information would help to fight terrorism and crime. But critics have contrary views. They believed security agencies could abuse and use such data to oppress people at will.

So, what can force the CIA and other security agencies to spy on anyone? Here’s what we know.

You’re sharing a name with a wanted person: 

Names are used for identification. Surprisingly, tons of people in your area could be bearing your name. You might not even know.

Your name can land you in government, even if you’re not a bad person. It can also cause the government to spy on you. Cases of mistaken identity happen now and then. The only reason you haven’t been in such trouble is that no criminal is bearing your name.

Have you heard of people being arrested and interrogated at the airport just because of the name they are bearing? Well, if that happens to you twice or more, chances are the government is watching you or someone bearing that name.

What happens is that the government has an official watch list. And once a person’s name gets flagged, all the airports in the country get notified. Unfortunately, citizens cannot have access to this official watch list.

The government won’t make their watch list public either unless it deems fit. Most times, doing so will only alert the criminals under surveillance, making it difficult to unmask them.

You’re powerful and influential:

Every country has one or more powerful citizens. The power could be because they have money or fame. Such individuals can pull a large crowd with a few words or actions. And this gives the government great concern.

Celebrities, social media influencers, and billionaires in various industries can easily become powerful and influential. They can influence people and turn them against the government.

If you’re always kicking against government policies or planning protests, the government might decide to place you under surveillance.

John Lennon was under surveillance. Why? Because of his anti-war politics, which the government felt was a threat. Again, actor Charlie Chaplin, and writer, Norman Mailer were under surveillance watched over. The reason was that the government saw them as communist sympathizers.

The same thing happened to Steve Jobs. Before Jobs got his presidential advisory position, the government did a thorough background check on him.

Today, many celebrities are under surveillance without even knowing. These include inventors, musicians, celebrities, and billionaires. The majority of them have FBI declassified files.

You belong to an extremist group:  

The CIA watch list includes people who are threats to national security. People in extremist groups are part of that list.

You don’t have to be a jihadist or a world-recognized terrorist organization on the CIA watch list. For example, Greenpeace, an environmental group, was called an eco-terrorist group after destroying private property.

The FBI defines an extremist as someone who condones, encourages, justifies, or supports the commission of a violent act to attain religious, ideological, economic, political, or social goals.

So, if you’re a member of Greenpeace or any group the government views as a terrorist group, you’re likely under surveillance. It doesn’t matter if you’re active or passive. But being active makes you a prime target for surveillance.

4 Signs That Shows The CIA Is Watching You

Did you commit any offense that should place you on the CIA watch list? If no, then you have no business worrying about the government watching you. But if you have, chances are the government is watching your every move. A couple of signs would reveal that to you.

The fact that you haven’t done anything wrong to warrant being under surveillance by the government doesn’t mean they won’t collect and analyze your data. They do.

The government gathers and analyses information from various electronic sources whenever they deem fit. They can monitor social media, email, phone calls, and so on.

So, what are the signs that the CIA or another security agency is watching you?

1. You find your webcam on:

Webcams make video interaction possible. But do you know the government could be watching you through your webcam while you’re reading this post? It’s possible.

For your information, webcams hacking is something cybercriminals can do with ease, let alone a top federal agency like NSA, FBI, or the CIA.

All NSA needs to do to gain access to a system’s webcam is infect it with the GUMFISH tool. Once infected, they can instruct it to take pictures, videos and record conversations.

2. Access to your phone records:

Do you think the CIA is currently listening to your calls? Well, it’s possible. But bear in mind that the government can’t listen to phone calls without a warrant. You also won’t know when they secure a warrant to listen to your calls.

Nevertheless, the CIA or FBI can gain access to your phone records whenever they deem fit. And from your record, they can tell the persons you called, when and duration of each call. They can draw a reasonable conclusion about your personal life, work, hobby, and more with such details.

It’s unreasonable for the CIA to listen to every phone calls made by citizens. Even if the government decides to make this happen, it would require millions of staff and finance to achieve it.

3. Your mobile device and computer system got hacked:

Most of us are quick to blame hackers when our mobile devices or computer gets hacked. What people are forgetting is that the CIA does hack devices.

The only difference between hacking by a cybercriminal and the CIA is that the former does it for selfish reasons. The CIA would only dedicate time to hack your device if they feel you’re a threat to national security.

The CIA boasts enormous malware and uses other means such as bugs and zero-day exploits to invade devices. Once hacked, they can make your device spy on you.

It will come as a surprise to many that the CIA has a special unit dedicated to finding ways to crack Android, Microsoft, iOS, and Mac operating systems, including various programs.

So, if you discover that your device got hacked, don’t be quick to blame cybercriminals for your predicament. Who knows, the CIA could be responsible.

A Handy Tip: Zero-day exploit is when a computer or mobile device is most vulnerable, and those who are supposed to patch the problem are unaware. This is the time that hackers can influence software or computer any way they deem fit.

4. CCTV is everywhere and watching you:

The numbers of CCTV cameras have increased over the years, and many people still think their lives outdoor are private. But the moment you step away from your home, know you’re being watched. Security agencies have also solved tons of homicides and other crimes, thanks to CCTV cameras.

As of 2019, the U.S. had 50 million CCTV cameras located across the country. That amounts to 15.28 CCTVs for every 100 persons in the country. So, whenever you’re outdoors or in that supermarket, bear in mind that the government could be watching you.

How To Prevent The CIA From Watching You

You can protect your privacy and lessen the chances of the CIA watching over you. Please don’t say they have the power to do whatever they feel like. If you start initiating the tiny changes you’re about to read; you will automatically make it harder and even impossible for them to spy on you.

• Update your devices regularly: Set programs on your computer system to automatic update. You can easily forget to update manually. Updating your device regularly and as quickly as possible will prevent the CIA from watching you. New updates contain bug fixes and patches for vulnerability.
• Make using VPN a habit: Using VPN would help encrypt your conversation, personal data and change your IP when surfing the web.
• Avoid opening suspicious emails: Clicking any suspicious emails by mistake could get land you in trouble.
• Shield your webcam: This simple act can limit the information the CIA or hackers can access if they manage to hack your webcam.
• Watch your social media activities: Avoid sharing too much personal information on your social media. These include details about your vacation, political views, and hobbies. If you have any opinions you know will hurt the government, keep them to yourself or discuss them verbally. Keep in mind that the things you post on social media can make you a prime target for surveillance.

Conclusion

So, do you think the CIA is watching you? If you haven’t done anything wrong, chances are the CIA doesn’t have your time.

But that doesn’t mean your data are not being collected and analyzed. They are. Nevertheless, the CIA would only decide to watch over you if you happen to be a threat to national security, one way or the other.