Surprising Things the U.S. Government Knows About You

Online purchase history

Getting permission to spy on U.S. citizens can be a real pain in the neck for agencies such as the FBI and NSA. But there are workarounds, of course, such as asking private companies to share the information consumers have willingly provided.

The queries can be general, such as the names of everyone who has ordered a specific product within a certain time frame.

Or they can be more focused, including everything purchased by a specific customer. Many companies have policies about how much they’re willing to share with law enforcement without a court order; check terms and conditions for details.