Too Many Secrets?

Too Many Secrets? On Sneakers, And The NSA -- Eli Sugarman, Time

George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is the most famous fictional work about omnipresent government surveillance and its myriad risks. Yet, an often-overlooked movie from 1992 provides even more prescient insights into the modern surveillance state, especially recently revealed National Security Agency collection programs. Sneakers centers on the development of an advanced decryption device that can break all U.S. codes — and the NSA’s attempts to obtain the device at all costs.

Along the way, it explores the legality of NSA domestic surveillance, the U.S. government’s interest in spying on Americans, and the onset of the digital age in which information is power. Despite a tongue-in-cheek plot, Sneakers is extremely relevant for the ongoing public debate about privacy and the serious risks posed to civil liberties by increased NSA domestic surveillance.

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My Comment: Sneakers has always been one of my favorite movies, but Enemy of the State is another film that nicely captures the power of the intelligence community when it comes to monitoring our digital activities.