Ever since Edward Snowden leaked confidential government documents over a year ago, we’ve been concerned about our sense of privacy. It’s been well documented that the government uses surveillance technology to spy on some individuals.  Are you one of them?

While Congress doesn’t seem to be making progress on this issue, programs are being constructed to help everyday people combat government surveillance. “Detekt” aims to alleviate this issue.

Developed by security researcher Claudio Guarnieri, Detekt is a free open-source software that scans your computer for known surveillance spyware. The ongoing project is also backed by refutable organizations such as Amnesty International and Privacy International, so it’s not a scam or trick. Its sole purpose is to help protect you from the government and anyone else’s prying eyes.

While Detekt is certainly a step in the right direction, it’s far from being a finished product. It’s currently available to Windows users only and doesn’t test for all of the known surveillance malware. Since spyware companies constantly change their software to avoid detection, it would be difficult for anti-spying software like Detekt to test for everything.  While it’s not fully developed, Windows’ users can download the latest, free version of Detekt here: https://resistsurveillance.org/.

Written By Tristan Rhee’ 17