Shia Labeouf NSA Warning: Actor Told Jay Leno About Spying in 2008 [VIDEO]
Though the recent leak of the NSA scandal by informant Edward Snowden came as a surprise to many, not everyone was so shocked to learn the scope of the United States' wiretapping and internet spying efforts.
In an interview he gave to Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" in 2008, Shia Labeouf spoke about some of the information he became privy to while working on the thriller "Eagle Eye." He recounted many of the same details that have since come to light this past week.
"I remember we had an FBI consultant on the picture telling me that they can use your ADT security box microphone to get your stuff that's going on in your house," LaBeouf told host Leno. "He told me that 1 in 5 phones calls which you make are recorded and logged and I laughed at him and then he played back a phone conversation I had two years prior to joining the picture."
While that's scary enough, Labeouf noted that it doesn't stop there. He went on to say that the government has the capability to hack into all types of different technology that pervades our day-to-day lives. "They can use OnStar to shut your car down," he said.
The nation, and specifically the internet, has been in an uproar about the NSA's unbridled spying of U.S. citizens through its PRISM system. The ability to use PRISM was first made possible by the Patriot Act, which was enacted shortly after the 9/11 attacks, allowing for warrantless wiretapping and other infringements on personal information.
Edward Snowden, a former NSA employee, decided to break his silence over the NSA's capabilities to several British journalists earlier this month. He stated that his conscience would not allow him to continue to spy on the American public.
"I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building," he said in a video posting.
Snowden was last seen in Hong Kong, where he believed he could be safe from deportation to America. He had also considered seeking asylum in such places as Russia and Iceland, but he disappeared earlier today, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!