Big Data

Yottabytes
Since Edward Snowden revealed details of the massive surveillance program the NSA uses to spy on pretty much everyone in the world who uses a computer or phone, the NSA data centers has been in the news.

Much of the information attributed to leaks by Snowden were already public knowledge. In fact, prior to its recent opening, the Pentagon proudly released information on the Utah data center. The agency boasted the fastest Cray computers in the world that could handle mind-boggling amounts of data, and a facility that covers a million square feet of space. As any tech will tell you, you can never have enough storage, and the NSA has more storage than anyone in the world. We’re talking yottabytes – a number so large that no one has yet coined a term for the next higher magnitude.

The 5 Eyes
A lot of storage is needed to handle the staggering amounts of data being funneled into the NSA from their data centers all over the world.

The Five Eyes, comprised of five English-speaking countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US, all share information on defense, science, technology, and national security. Originally set up as The Technical Cooperation Program to share signal intelligence during the cold war, the dark government agencies working together no longer have to ask for your personal information, they just take it.

Enjoy Rockwell from 1984 – Somebody’s Watching Me: