Israelis live in what most Americans would consider a constant state of "red alert," considering the unrelenting security threats faced by the nation. In light of that, most Israelis have resigned themselves to the fact that their government and local authorities are keeping close tabs on them, and that individual privacy is little more than an illusion, at least when it comes to communications.

Today in Israel, the police, the various national security agencies, the army, the tax authorities, the Environment Ministry and even the National Parks Authority have the right to request, without a warrant, private and personal communications from average citizens. And yet, there is little, if any, local outcry.

"Israelis are used to being spied on all the time," Jonathan Klinger, a lawyer specializing in media and technology, wrote on his personal blog. "As Israelis, the authority of the American agencies sounds like a joke."