Or use Tails, a Linux distro specifically designed for paranoia. You burn it on a CD (or USB stick) and boot from it into a Linux desktop environment specially crafted for privacy and security. All internet traffic is routed through Tor (sic), so after rebooting you should be fine.

Looks very much like the three letter agencies decided it's time now to start playing hardball.

German citizen here, and one working it IT Security for almost two decades now. I have been advocating the use of strong encryption and keeping the crown jewels "in the house" to my employers and customers all the time, but managers would often not listen in order to save the odd buck on the next outsourcing deal.

By launching and funding the spy programmes the US government has willingly accepted possibly detrimental effects on the economy.

In my opinion it serves the US companies right that finally the time has come that companies and people all over the world actually start looking at whom they make business with. The USA have decided to spy on every single person on this planet - OK, but now don't complain that this hurts your economy. If US companies don't like what's happening then they should complain to your government and make them change things.

A lot of trust has been destroyed, and it will take the US economy some effort to regain it. Work hard, and maybe some day in the future I will no longer advise my customers and friends to avoid US services.