Feds Visit Family Who Googled Backpacks and Pressure CookersBut The NSA Isnt Watching YouDaisy Luther What shows up in your search history? I just checked mine. In the past week I have looked up If you put all these things together, does it put together a picture of a terrorist, bent on destruction, or just a newbie homesteader who is also interested in current events and has a tween daughter? Well, with the algorithms the government is using, those searches might not look so innocent. Michelle Catalano and her husband were the targets of a visit by federal officials based on nothing more than their Google history. While the NSA is fervently denying that they are collecting information on average citizens, an early morning knock on the door of this familys home says otherwise. Do you wonder what would have happened to the Catalanos if theyd refused to answer questions, as is their right under the Constitution? What if they had denied entry when the feds had asked to do a casual inspection of their home, which is also their right? What if the husband had asked, with his morning cup of coffee in hand, Do you have a warrant? I strongly suspect that if they had chosen to stand up for their rights, the intimidating visit would have gotten a whole lot worse. When every thing you do is recorded, analyzed, and judged, you are not truly free. No matter how independent you think you are, someone, somewhere is watching you in a manner so creepy and so intent that no fiction writer has ever captured the full extent of it in even the most gripping spy novel. Many people are careful, not joining social networks, using proxy servers, and using search engines that are supposed to be private. But with the recent release of information from Edward Snowden, I would be willing to bet that isnt enough to keep your internet comings and goings out from under the microscope of the NSA. In fact, those things might make you seem even more suspicious. These algorithms are designed to prove the guilt of anyone that the federal government wants to target. Back in the 1500s, Cardinal Richelieu knew the truth of this when he said, If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged. What kind of world do we live in when you are always watched? When doing things openly makes you a suspect but the pursuit of privacy also makes you a suspect? Well, dont worrytheyre doing this for your own good. Do you feel any safer now? Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor. Her website,The Organic Prepper, wherethis article first appeared, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy onFacebookandTwitter, and you can email her atdaisy@theorganicprepper.ca 