America's Surveillance State

In today's society, who is watching whom? Explore the inner workings of surveillance in America.

With a countless number of cameras placed in the streets, and with much more invisible spying online and on the phone, America is turning into a surveillance state. Chances are that somebody somewhere may be watching what you're doing right now. Perhaps slowly but steadily, the idea of privacy is disappearing.

The tightly guarded NSA Headquarters in Maryland covers more than 325 acres and has more than 30,000 employees with a vast number of buildings. They have a small army to protect them from foreign and domestic enemies, as well as their own fire department and swat team. Yet despite the large amount of space it occupies, the NSA had been created in secret and designed to be invisible.

Episode two probes the inner workings of the United States' controversial National Security Agency - the NSA.

Episode three explores the complex relationship between the NSA and the media that reports on its actions.

In a country that describes itself as a democracy and the leader of the free world it's an enormous problem for the government to know more about the people than the people know about what the government's doing. But since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 a lot of the legal restraints that kept the government in check after a previous era of abuse were relaxed or removed completely in many cases.

Episode four delves into the interconnected "Surveillance Industrial Complex".

There is often an invisible but deep connection between high-tech government intelligence service and the corporate world, as well as tensions between the companies, their customers and the government. This connection works on many levels.

Episode five examines potential threats to the privacy of United States citizens - within America.

The NSA or National Security Agency was originally set up to keep America safe, but ironically it now seems obsessed with keeping itself safe.

The war on terror seems almost self-perpetuating along with its insatiable need for endless surveillance, even as the surveillance state is being challenged as never before. There is a political battle over the future of NSA spying with tactics escalating on all sides.

The concluding episode takes a glimpse into what the future may hold for America's surveillance state.