U.S.—As if most Americans don’t already know that their e-mails are being dumped into and sorted by the National Security Agency, aka Spook Headquarters, actually headquartered, at least in part, in Fort Meade, Md., now the four-star in charge of the country’s cyber doings appears set to retire and many are worried about what/who will fill the already contentious post.
Gen. Keith Alexander
While some describe General Keith Alexander, 61, as a man who has prevented the country from an all-out cyber invasion, others say he is just another evil spy boss bent on tracking every movement of every citizen in the country under the guise of warding off terror.
Alexander, serving as spook-in-chief since 2005, is the longest-serving intelligence boss in the history of an agency that some still say doesn’t even exist.
Given the plethora of laws passed since 911, there seems to be an equal amount of worry on both sides of Alexander’s planned retirement, set for sometime in the first half of 2014.
“He runs both defensive and offensive operations in cyberspace,” said a source close to the agency.
With that said, his replacement, which has not even been hinted at, would have his or her hands on the hard-drives (or, cyber throats) of every American.
On one hand, surveillance advocates are worried that the wrong person in the position could spell devastation for the country by not keeping foreign countries from taking over cyberspace; while on the other hand, proponents fear the wrong person could gut what remains of constitutionally-guaranteed freedom and privacy.
Many are still fuming over the warrantless wiretap program, implemented on Alexander’s watch.
They believe the program overreaches its intended purpose.
Since its birth in the wake of 911 the program has sparked lawsuits, leak investigations and congressional hearings.
Even though he is eyeballing retirement, Alexander currently finds himself at the center of a debate over how much cyber security should trump personal freedoms.
“We know the enemy will and has sought out our weaknesses in our free society to exploit them and use them against us,” one of the general’s close assistants said recently. “We walk a thin line every day to balance our offensive and defensive cyber operations with those very freedoms that makes this country so strong.”
While some are becoming more comfortable with Big Brother in their lives, others are increasingly concerned and rumored to be contemplating action to stop further intrusion.
In the meantime, General Alexander is setting the stage for whoever his replacement may be.