People in tech are freaking out about Donald Trump being given control of the NSA

Last month, Wired published a story with the headline "Imagine if Donald Trump controlled the NSA." Now there's no need to imagine.

Trump overcame all odds on Wednesday when he became the 45th president-elect of the United States. As a result, he's about to gain control of the US intelligence agencies, including the NSA (National Security Agency).

Tech workers and security campaigners have been quick to express concerns about handing control of the NSA to Trump.

The intelligence agency serves as a US spy centre that monitors, collects, and processes information on people across the world. It has made headlines over the last few years for its secretive mass surveillance methods, which overstep the mark in the eyes of many people.

Security consultant Dan Tentler wrote on Twitter: "Trump will control the NSA. Think about that for a second. What the f*** did you people do?"

Former CIA analyst Patrick Eddington questioned what the NSA will do under Trump given that it warranted mass surveillance under former president George Bush.

Frederike Kaltheuner, who works in policy at campaign group Privacy International, wrote on Twitter: "The NSA will now be run by a Trump government. This is why we should never give a carte blanche to powerful institutions."

Chris Schofield, an academic at Royal Holloway university focusing on geopolitics, highlighted on Twitter that Trump will also have control of the CIA, FBI, aircraft carriers, Navy SEALS, nuclear weapons, US diplomats, and the Senate.

Trump has promised national-security overhauls, including a potential return to enhanced-interrogation techniques, increasing bombing of ISIS, reevaluating the US relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, loosening background checks for purchasing firearms, and forcing Mexico to pay for a Southern border wall.