The Electronic Frontier Foundation last week took the wraps off a new Web site that is designed to help you keep the government from taking the wraps off your personal communications and stored data.

And here's a prediction: Someone's going to call it a threat to national security … Phooey.

From the site: "EFF has created this Surveillance Self-Defense site to educate the American public about the law and technology of government surveillance in the United States, providing the information and tools necessary to evaluate the threat of surveillance and take appropriate steps to defend against it. … Surveillance Self-Defense exists to answer two main questions: What can the government legally do to spy on your computer data and communications? And what can you legally do to protect yourself against such spying?"

Now if you're thinking that you have no need for such information because you're not doing anything wrong, well, you're right in the sense that this site is not meant for those whose faith in their benevolent government remains unshaken. It's more for those who have lived the past eight years, in particular, with their eyes wide open.

The site addresses surveillance issues as they relate to data that is in transmission, stored by you, or in the hands of a third party. For each data state there are sections that answer "What can the government do?" and "What can I do to protect myself?" They get into subjects such as reasonable expectations of privacy, the Fourth Amendment, subpoenas, search warrants, and one you hope not to need: search "incident to lawful arrest."

As for what you can do to protect yourself, topics include: develop a data retention and destruction policy; master the basics of data protection; learn how to use passwords properly; encrypt your data; and protect yourself against malware. In other words, the kind of stuff you do every day but your less tech-savvy friends may not understand.

There are also sections about the government's recent claims to expanded surveillance authority, as well as one about "defensive technologies" that may cause a stir in some circles.

The site is well organized, easily navigable, and written so as not to scare off the non-techies. There's a legal disclaimer noting that "this guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice."