THE AMERICANS: How would today’s tech have changed the way they spied in the 1980s?

I’ve been watching FX’s show, The Americans for several seasons now and think that it’s one of the best programs on television today. It’s about a husband and wife spy team from Russia who live a secret, seemingly normal life in a 1980s Washington, D.C. suburb.

The show stars Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings and Keri Russell as his wife Elizabeth and follows the two undercover KGB spies as they conduct secret missions for mother Russia while trying to negotiate the ins and outs of raising a family in America during the Cold War.

Complicating things is their next-door neighbor, Stan—played by Noah Emmerich—who works with a woman that Philip secretly married. The woman, named Martha Hanson and played by Alison Wright, works for Stan’s boss, Agent Frank Gaad (played by Richard Thomas). Philip (in disguise as his alter ego, Clarke) seduced Martha and got her to plant a bug in Agent Gad’s office. Without giving anything away, things have gotten complicated. But that’s how things are in the world of spying.

Given the strides that the world has taken in the development of modern technology, can you imagine what life was like for spies back in the day? Bugs in pens, reel-to-reel tape recorders, calls made from random pay phones—all feature prominently in every episode. Nowadays, we have the Internet and a spy software for cell phone—both of which take the art of spying to a whole new level. A digital one.

While I’m sure that Russia and the FBI and the CIA still use good old-fashioned spies and spy techniques, it’s obvious that a lot has changed due to the advent of the Internet. Nowadays, government organizations employ teams of computer experts and even a spy software for cell phones. I imagine that spying has become both easier and more difficult for both sides—what with the way that technology keeps evolving.

Spying isn’t even just for the government. There are a multitude of mobile spy tools for cell phones programs that you, as an individual, can purchase and put on someone’s cell phone. Many of them can give you access to the target phone’s calls, texts, social media activity and SMS messages. They can also let you track the device via GPS and activate the microphone and camera so that you can survey the user’s environment. It’s all very stealthy and can be done remotely so that no one knows you are doing it. Real spy stuff.

Imagine how easy it would have been for Philip and Elizabeth to conduct many of their secret missions if they had a smartphone and a couple of spy apps to put on their targets’ phones? It’s a little scary. If they did, America—and the technology we helped create—may never have developed to the point at which we are now, because we’d have been too busy waiting in line for toilet paper.

500,000 SHADES OF GRAY: How a good spyware app could save you cash … and keep you out of jail

A man was just sentenced to four years jail time for setting fire to a CVS during the April 2015 Baltimore riots which were set off by the suspicious death of black male. Freddie Gray, who was chased down by six white police officers (for unknown reasons), was apprehended, then put into a police van and transported to jail. When he arrived at the precinct, he was unresponsive and was found to have suffered a spinal injury after being admitted to a hospital. He died a week later.

The entire scenario sparked a national debate about the treatment of blacks by authorities all across the nation and started with peaceful protests in the city, but eventually culminated into violence. The riots, which went on for days, decimated the Baltimore neighborhood, leading to over 200 arrests and more than 150 fires—including the one set by Raymon Carter. Spy tools for cell phones are important to have.

According to an article on nbcnews.com:

“A man who set fire to a CVS pharmacy during unrest in Baltimore following the death of a black man in police custody was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Raymon Carter, 24, must also pay $500,000 in restitution. Carter pleaded guilty to a federal charge of rioting for the April 27 arson, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Baltimore said.

‘Ordinary citizens concerned about their neighborhood helped to catch Raymon Carter after he participated in the riot,’ U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said in a statement.

The federal government said Carter admitted to intentionally setting the fire during looting at the CVS, which occurred during protests in Baltimore following the funeral for Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who suffered a spinal cord injury and died a week after being transported in a police van.” The best cell phone spy app can be used for various other purposes.

Cnn.com reported that “Carter was identified by citizens after authorities released photographs from surveillance video and announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to his identification and conviction. He was arrested after a foot chase and later reached a plea agreement.”

So how could a spyware app have saved Raymon Carter from all of this mess? Well, maybe if the parents of Raymon Carter had installed a quality mobile spy app like Auto Forward software, they could have monitored his whereabouts and made him go home before all that trouble began.

Auto Forward is a top-rated mobile spy app that allows its user to remotely access data on a target phone and display it on their own cell phone, tablet or computer. It provides real-time coverage and information—allowing the user to track the device via GPS, read all the text messages and social media posts, view all pictures and videos and much more.

There’s no guarantee that someone could have reached out to Carter before he joined in on the rioting and started to torch the pharmacy, but if someone with any sense had had the option to install Auto Forward on the pyro’s phone and kept their eye on the young hooligan, then maybe none of this would ever have happened. Spy apps for cell phones have become very popular!