Software Dead Man's Switch

Anonymous Coward writes "DaisyMan over on ArsWare has come up with a software based Dead Man's Switch that will, if you don't 'check in' every so often, post a message (presumably about your demise, but whatever you wish) to various message boards, send email (maybe that incriminating evidence?) to your friends, and encrypt specified files on your computer so that 'they' can't have them. Paranoia? Yeah, but they really _are_ watching you ..." Update: 06/22 12:57 GMT by T : The idea isn't new, but recently sparked a New York Times article.

Comments

Question...

[rant-mode-on]

The question is, can I set up a cron job to save me being pestered by it all the time?

supposedly dead

[Dan Aloni]

I really don't like the idea that by mistake, my relatives, friends, or colleagues on the Internet will get this kind of E-Mail by mistake:

"This is an automated message. If you read this, I am probably dead. My will is to be burried along with my hard drive, and send the rest of my computer hardware as donation to Linus Torvalds."

On the first time they get it, they may get paniced, and set up a funeral for me while I am away.

On the second time, I'd really drop dead and they'll laugh and ignore while I rot on my keyboard for months.

necessary services

[dboyles]

This reminds me of something that was on The Man Show a few years ago. In the event of an untimely death, a (made-up) company could be enlisted to "correct" some things for you. The team came in and replaced items such as Playboy centerfolds, a bong, porn videos, and a - let's just call it a "sexual device" - with pictures of your family, Bibles, and other such things.

They showed a "with and without" sequence, where one's parents came to their dead son's apartment to discover the two different scenarios. It was pretty funny, and encouraged me to say to my roommate, "You know that bottom drawer of my dresser? If I die, burn everything in it."

Re:How do you test it?

[BarefootClown]

laziness

I thought you said unusual situations...

Revelation Day

[wytcld]

How about we offer really slick freeware (or even better, 'shareware' that can easily not be paid for so folks think its of greater value) secretly set to go off on the Day of Reckoning?

Prior to that civilization-improving point of revelation let's also have a backdoor so we can get the inside scoop on the really nasty revelations. Free the truth!
___

Re:The Ultimate Solution

[Monkey Angst]

There is only one good solution to this: Place a dozen or more of dynamite sticks inside your case (don't stint), and make sure not to be seen by your colleagues from your company.... Have fun.

Damn. You live in Montana, don't you? :)

Re:CRON?

[DEBEDb]

If you don't want your Mom to see it than perhaps you'd be better off without it?

Do you want your Mom to see you
having sex? If the answer is no, perhaps
you'd be better off without it.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

for best effect, go nuclear

[danny]

Obtain a surplus Russian nuclear warhead and wire your dead man switch to that... That's what one of the characters in Neil Stephenson's Snow Crash does, anyway - the result is that he gets looked after very carefully by local law enforcement.

There's a great bit of dialogue at one point that goes something like "You can't attack him, he's a sovereign nation!" "So, I'll declare war on him first." If anyone has a copy handy maybe they can transcribe it.

Danny.