NSA algorithm enables spies to see through paper.Top-secret documents reveal that the National Security Agency is dramatically expanding its ability to covertly monitor targets through webcams, according to a new report on The Intercept. The NSA has been able to use spyware for years that enables the organization to hijack laptop and PC webcams, and has used it to monitor target organizations and suspected terrorists. But in recent years, their efforts have been stymied by the use of Post-it Notes placed over the camera lenses, according to documents uncovered by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. In response, the NSA has developed new technology that can essentially see through paper. When a Post-it Note is placed over a webcam, it doesn’t block the light. It merely scatters it into a blurry blob of yellow. The NSA’s technology project, code-named GoldenEye, is able to use something called a spatial light modulator to re-assemble the scattered light back into something close to the original image. The ability to do this with lasers has existed for years, but the NSA program is the first to do it with regular light. The Intercept says the NSA has been using the GoldenEye technology for about a year to secretly monitor every webcam in the world covered by a Post-it Note. According to the report, the NSA doesn’t even bother to monitor webcams that are not covered, because those users obviously have nothing to hide. The NSA is working on an even more advanced version of GoldenEye that can see through duct tape and even electrical tape. The budget for GoldenEye is reportedly in the neighborhood of $42 gazillion. [firstlook.org/theinterc…](https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/04/01/nsa-algorithm-can-see-through-paper/http://click-to-read-mo.re/p/6lVm)
