While much of the world is focussed on the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Senate recently voted to expand its surveillance powers. As part of a reauthorization of the Patriot Act, law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and CIA can continue to look through the browsing history of American citizens without the need for a warrant.

Although it was arguably created with good intentions, some believe this is just the beginning of governments around the world using the coronavirus pandemic to usher in new surveillance measures. Some have even suggested that the Patriot Act enables those in power to spy on their political opponents without consequence.

An increasing number of techies are browsing the web through a VPN to prevent their ISP from tracking their online habits for these very reasons. But in this case, the FBI could request logs from your VPN provider, too. The smartphones and smart speakers armed with microphones, cameras, and tracking abilities can suddenly feel quite sinister. Are we paranoid? Or are there dark forces at work that don't necessarily have our best interests at heart?