Vulbus Incognita Magazine

One of the controversial Patriot Act provisions reauthorized this past spring permits roving John Doe wiretaps, which follow a "person of interest" within a broad search warrant.

License-plate cameras at intersectionsCredit: Joe Ravi

. In order to crack down on drivers running red lights or committing other traffic transgressions, many municipalities have installed cameras at intersections.

FBI monitoring of email and electronic communications.Credit: Mozilla Foundation
The FBI implemented a system in the late 1990s known as Carnivore, which scanned emails en masse looking for keywords. It's since been replaced by even more sophisticated software.