John McAfee Claims He Can Beat the NSA At Its Own Game For $100 a Pop

Impact

We all want our privacy.

But with the news about the National Security Agency (NSA) spying on us and seeing everything we do, it seems like we have lost that privacy. Our private emails can be read. Our smartphone data can be tapped into. Even our phone calls and Internet traffic are being monitored.

Now, one man claims to have come up with a solution.

John McAfee, the eccentric millionaire and founder of the anti-virus software company McAfee, Inc., is now working on a new project. The Verge reports that McAfee, in a recent speech at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center on Saturday, revealed how he aims to build a device that works so personal data cannot be accessed by the government.

"There will be no way [for the government] to tell who you are or where you are," McAfee said.

He went on to explain that the device would be localized and that the network only covers a distance of about three blocks long. Although there isn't a prototype out just yet, McAfee said that it should be done in about six months.

"We have the design in place," he added. "We're just looking for partners for development of the hardware."

The product, according to McAfee, will sell for around $100.

To an optimist, this is fantastic news. For only one Benjamin Franklin, people can re-gain their natural right to privacy.

To me, however, it all sounds too good to be true. In a world where high-quality headphones are $200 to $400, a device that can block the NSA from your personal information is only worth $100? To me, this looks like nothing more than a clever scam by a man who ran from a murder case, was arrested for entering Guatemala illegally, and once posted a drug-fueled video tutorial on how to uninstall the antivirus program he helped create. After all, when people feel insecure, they'll try and believe almost anything to regain a sense of security.

What do you think? Would you take the chance and pay for his product?