Check this out !

YouTube - Glenn Beck: Government Website Takes Over Your Computer Forever

This is something else the government if offering.

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx

I watched that video & folks I know examined it more closely - the site Glenn Beck goes to is for dealer transactions, not for the general public. Simple rule is that if you accept Gov't. "benefits" you will do what the Gov't. tells you & they can examine your files. But if your "clunker" is eligible for a "rebate", the dealer applies for it, not you.

I've seen reports that some dealers have put in the sales contract that if they don't get paid, you have to pay what the dealer didn't get - so be careful if you want to use that program. But it's the dealers' computer system which can be accessed when an application for a "rebate" is made, not yours.

However, you should always consider that every e-mail you send, every website you visit, etc. can be read & tracked. There are so many online activities it's impossible to track them all, but if you're a "person of interest", your communications can be monitored. I don't have the electronic equipment or knowledge to do it, but you can bet the Gov't. does & in my files I have a long list of "buzzwords" that draw attention to cell phone calls, e-mails, etc.

Notice that people who do things like make threats against a school, airport, etc. get caught - may take a while, but even those who think they know how to "encrypt" messages, route thru ISP's all over the world, etc. eventually are found. If the Gov't. wants to find out where your computer is & what's on it, they can - whether you look into the "cash for clunkers" program or not. If you use the internet @ all, you can be tracked.

Scary thought, but it's reality. I know some "computer geeks" who understand how it works & a good analogy is a wrestling match @ the Olympics level - for every move there's a counter-move. One person develops a "firewall" to stop online intrusions & another figures out a way to get around it - back & forth it goes all the time - this company figures out how to stop a "virus", somebody else figures out how to get past the anti-virus software, etc.

It's a never-ending battle & only really smart software engineers can even begin to deal with it. But a simple solution is never save data you don't want someone else to access on your computer - use external drives. The best "hacker" in the world can't get personal data from this computer because it's never been there to begin with - it's saved to sources that never go online.