My Take | Snowden's revelations are chilling for us all

The BRICS nations are banding together to protect their information security, it was reported over the weekend. Another report said companies were seeking out security firms to shore up their internet security.

Hey, what about you and me?

You have nothing to worry if you are not a terrorist. That is what the US authorities tell us after Edward Snowden revealed the country's National Security Agency has been tapping the phone calls and e-mails of millions outside the country, including Hong Kong.

They are copied and stored in gigantic severs in Utah to be checked "only if you are doing something illegal".

If you take all the messages you sent over the past couple of years, there is every chance most of your personal details, from passport and ID numbers to bank accounts to the name of your cat, will show up. But they assure you, if you are not a terrorist, you need not worry. No one is going to look through it.

But what if a secret agent or rogue agent is on a Rambo mission to China and looking for a false identity? Wouldn't it be a treasure trove for such an identity thief? Get some Hong Kong person's passport details, study them, forge a passport with an appropriate picture and voilà, he's on his way.