Consumers worried about NSA intrusions have little recourse

Consumers worried about the National Security Agency's ability to read even encrypted electronic data have few options, according to cybersecurity and privacy experts. And some experts said the NSA's reported actions to crack the sophisticated technology that masks data traveling over the Internet may have made that information more vulnerable, possibly exposing Web users to criminal hackers.

"People understandably are frustrated because they are powerless," said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. "Even if you're the kind of consumer who is concerned enough and have the time to bother to explore how to encrypt your communications so that they're confidential, the government is obviously intent on getting around any attempt to keep your information private." The revelation about the NSA's abilities to peer into people's private information has created an even bigger opportunity for foreign governments and criminals to scoop up information on untold numbers of Americans, said Trevor Timm, digital rights analyst at the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Even if you trust the NSA 100 percent, they're weakening the cybersecurity system so that it's more vulnerable," he said. "When you place back doors into services or software, that back door is there for everyone. It'll make it easier for criminals to find and for foreign governments to find."