Espionage, Olympics, and the Internet

There are two recent articles that seemed rather uncomfortably related.

The first article is from Yahoo! News:

US Olympic tourists warned about monitoring in hotels

An except from the article:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Americans traveling to China for the Olympic Games in August can expect their hotel rooms there to be monitored, the State Department warned on its website.

"All visitors should be aware that they have no reasonable expectation of privacy in public or private locations," according to the State Department site.

"All hotel rooms and offices are considered to be subject to on-site or remote technical monitoring at all times. Hotel rooms, residences and offices may be accessed at any time without the occupant's consent or knowledge," it said.

The second article is from Steinnon on Security from Network World:

China takes off cyber gloves

An excerpt from the article:

Are you a manufacturer? Are you responsible for IT Security at a government agency or research lab? Are you an athlete? Do you represent the cause of freedom in Tibet or peace in Darfur? If so, you have a new enemy.  The government of the largest country in the world [China] is after your data. They have resources you cannot even dream of. They are organized. They know what they are doing.

Now, imagine the two articles juxtaposed. The following might give you a taste of how pervasive and devasting espionage, cyber or otherwise, can be. My additions are in square brackets.

Americans traveling [the Internet]...can expect their [actions] to be monitored, the State Department warned on its website. "All visitors should be aware that they have no reasonable expectation of privacy in public or private locations [on the Internet]," according to the State Department site. "All hotel rooms and offices[, computers, blackberries, iPhones, gaming systems] are considered to be subject to on-site or remote technical monitoring at all times. [These] may be accessed at any time without the [owner's]occupant's consent or knowledge," it said.

There are no small targets on the Internet. Once you connect, you and your software are part of the whole whether you like it or not.