Unveiled recently at a wiretapping and eavesdroppers conference, a small Arizona company is selling a box* you can plug into a network and use to secretly spy on what people are saying and doing (i.e. shopping) on what are supposedly "secure" websites, such as Gmail, Ebay, Amazon, etc.
This companies wiretap box requires the cooperation of the same companies who tell your browser what websites are safe to go to.
This box, with the (voluntary, coerced, blackmailed, or bribed) cooperation of the Certifying Authority (CA) allows government agencies, law enforcement or anyone with enough money to use this box to intercept your email, read it and then let go on to its destination.
Also, it can be used to spy on your shopping habits (because its been proven that most bureaucrats are bored and curious voyeurs).
So just be aware that you may be being spied upon by people you would rather not know what your email says or what you are buying.
And no, there's nothing you can do about it.
Here the link to a couple of articles on the topic, here, and here.
*I say "box," but it is actually a router; "box" is easier to understand for the non-technical audience.
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