Well, they could just tune in on Echelon, which really seems to bereality. There is no need for "infinite" resources to do such a thing.
Echelon ain't a radio, and not all members of TLAs have access. Indeed, you can be damn sure that they are very careful to NOT share a lot of the Echelon-culled information. And unless you're involved in some very interesting operations, as a mere agitant you aren't going to merit release of Echelon info.
HOWEVER, even if they haven't focused the big microscope on you, this doesn't mean you don't merit "phishing" by someone (perhaps) who's in a local office and has decided he doesn't like you personally. Thus, lower-level & not "infinitely secure" efforts might be of some use.
Here is the fundamental misunderstanding. Your email is no "account". There are no place where your account is stored. The only thing that exists is an endpoint, where you receive your mail. Before the mail reaches that point, its's just TCP-packets on the wire.
OK, what the heck are you talking about? You're telling me that hotmail/gmail is stored on my personal COMPUTER? Not even a TLA-originated campaign of disinformation would attempt to get that across. Are you like a 14-year-old boy or something?
The problem with Cypherpunks is that we're way too pre-occupied with "infinite security" scenarios. Of course, such a subject is of vital importance, but there are lower levels of threat (and appropriate response) that need to be examined. This "well they can break almost anything so don't even bother unless you're the Okie City B-*-m-b-*-r or somebody, and then you'll need a faraday cage and colliding pulse mode-locked dye laser for quantum encryption" bullshit actually detracts from Cypherpunkly notions....it makes the use of encryption a red flag sticking out of a sea of unencrypted grey. And then, of course, in the off chance they can't actually break the message under that flag, they can merely send a guy out with binoculars or whatever.
-TD
