This entry was inspired by "FAQ: What You Need to Know About the NSA's Surveillance Programs" by Pro Publica, reprinted in the Reader Weekly of Duluth on 2013-07-11. You can find a long list of similar stories by Pro Publica with the search terms "FAQ: What You Need to Know About the NSA's Surveillance Programs" "Pro Publica".
If you think government has overstepped its bounds on surveillance, you can protest in a "simple" way: don't use a phone, the Internet, or a debit or credit card each No Surveillance Allowed Day (NSAD). If the usage of these drops significantly every Wednesday, the large corporations such as Google, Yahoo, Verizon, AT&T, Visa, and many others will certainly notice. I am sure you have noticed that large corporations have more clout with Congress and the Administration than we ordinary citizens. No Surveillance Allowed Days could manipulate the large corporations to influence the government not just for their benefit but ours!
This won't be "simple" because many of us need to use the telephone and the Internet for work and for other matters that can't wait until another day. But you might find some things among the following ideas that you can do to make a small contribution to make the large corporations notice.
If you live outside the United States, especially in a country with heavy-handed censorship, you can stage your own small non-violent resistance with little fear of government retaliation.
On No Surveillance Allowed Days, think twice about any phone calls you might make, especially cell phone. Can the call wait until tomorrow? Does the call even need to be made?
On NSADs, avoid using the Internet. Can you look up that burning question with Google on Thursday instead? Can you make that online payment that is due on Wednesday a day early? If you read newspapers online, can you buy a paper copy on Wednesdays instead? If you don't buy a paper copy, you you could catch up online on Thursday. If you must use the Internet, avoid clicking on any ads and avoid any sites that give you a short advertising video before showing you what you clicked for.
Oh gosh! Our Social Security checks are deposited on the fourth Wednesday. I guess we don't need to check online that they are in our accounts that day. We can assume that they are there. Besides, if we're avoiding the Internet, we won't be making any online payments until Thursday.
Finally, pay cash on NSADs instead of using a debit or credit card. Or can you wait until Thursday to make that big purchase with one of your cards?
If we spread the word that we are doing these things in protest of the National Security Agency's wide-ranging snooping on our lives, we might get the attention of the large corporations who control our phones, our Internet use, and many of our purchases and payments. If they are being hit in the pocket book, even one day a week, they might make a big squawk that will be heard in Washington.
No matter how much you plan to participate, would you at least spread the word about No Surveillance Days? If you do so, please pass on the link to this entry (http://magree.blogspot.com/2013/07/no-surveillance-allowed-days.html). That will give me some idea of how well this idea is catching on. I'll periodically post how many views have been made of this entry.
Thanks, and may you sleep well, knowing you have done your part to stop excessive government snooping.
