To any British child who grew up watching James Bond, it might seem like Her Majesty's Secret Service is smart enough to outsmart any adversary. After the Snowden revelations, many people have changed their minds about whether spies are still the good guys, but it's almost impossible to shake the English belief that the UK has the smartest spies.
As Forbes reports, we were given the rare opportunity to see details about the tools the British use to spy on enemies, intercept digital communications, censor online content, and even manipulate online polls. All of this sounds terrifying and certainly beyond the knowledge of most citizens.
But the dark paths of the spy agency may be as bright as they seem. A security researcher says the agency relies on tools that are no more powerful than those used by young hackers.
Are you still impressed by the abilities of the secret services?
