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Olympics to Have Massive Surveillance Network
sharkdba writes "CNN has an article about Olympic digital security. This should be of interest to /. readers since it's a supposedly largest surveillance network ever. Thousands of cameras are combined with software (AI agents?) to look for anomalies. Also words are parsed (scan equivalent to OCR). I understand the idea that if you're in public expect no privacy, but even CNN says: 'Although the state's right to take all necessary measures that it deems necessary is recognized, there is fear that these measures will have a negative impact on basic human rights.'"
1.5bn cost versus 3,000,000 tickets sold = $500 per spectator spent in security.
How are these Games supposed to make money?
There is very little you can do to stop fanatics who are willing to die.
I was in Boston during the DNC. The security was an absolute joke. Anyone could have gotten on the public transport system or rented a large truck and blown up a low-value (but still prominent) target.
There is really nothing that can be done in a free society. They're gonna' get us.
It's probably a blessing in disguise that Athens took so long to finish preparations for the olympics. Since it is said Al Qaeda spends years preparing for an attack, I don't think anything big will happen at the olympics. That's also the kind of thing a bunch of cameras won't do shit against.
Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
Africus aut Europaeus?
...it would make more economic sense to not admit anyone, CGI the crowds in for broadcast, and pocket the 1.3B you didn't spend on security.
I forget what 8 was for.
After reading the article, I'm far less concerned about the cameras at the Olympics than I am about the other measures they've taken such as scanning phone communications (both mobile and land line) as well as monitoring e-mail, images and other electronic traffic. It seems to me that that kind of stuff is really what crosses the line. Ridiculous surveillance in public is one thing, but extreme surveillance of private communication is entirely another.
Basically $1.5bn dollars was what the games were supposed to cost. That was sort of covered by the European Union, Sponsors, and Greece. The final cost was closer to a $3bn price, due to the mismanagement and the corruption of the previous government.
That extra $1.5bn is going straight to the taxpayers.. I expect that my country will not be able to get over this debt for the next 25 years.
Still, I expect that no foreigner can understand how much to these games mean to us. I am greatly looking forward to them!!!
PS: It also goes without saying that all the greek construction companies will be doomed on the post-olympics era since no major projects are going to take place in the forthcoming years...
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
Ah, but this is in Greece. A classmate of mine was greece, and according to him, the police already abused their powers. I get the feeling that Greece's government already has a bit more power than the US.
Marvin knew: "Think of a number, any number..."
You cannot have both a free society and be free from terrorist attacks. It is impossible. The more "security" you add the more Orwellian your government becomes.
A balence must be struck. And IMO it should be struck further toward "freedom" than it is being currently.
Some food for thought:
Dorothy Thompson:
"When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered."
John Adams:
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty."
Wendell Phillips:
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
And the ever popular Benjamin Franklin:
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security"
The issue here is intelligence. In this case, some of the intelligence is gained through surveillance, but it's still intelligence.
>How does a camera have any hope of stopping someone who walks in with a suitcase bomb and a trigger on the handle?
Imagine some questions:
Why is he carrying a suitcase?
Why does he look nervous?
Who is he?
Where is he from?
Who does he hang out with on the weekends?
Why does he want to see the Olympics?
etc.
etc.
etc.
Ideally, your intelligence will be able to answer all of these questions so you know how big of a threat the person is. In reality, you gather as much intelligence as possible to help determine whether or not he/she is enough of a threat to confront the person. If you knew enough background information, you could make this decision with reasonable accuracy (and without infringing on too many innocent people).
>And so they go up to him, and bonus for him, 'cause now he gets to kill some cops, too.
First of all, you try to approach him before he enters. Secondly, the more you know about the person, the more likely you can convince him not to do something he will regret (or in some cases, not to do something that he won't regret). In either case, it increases the chances of being able to save lives.
Like most such systems, I doubt this system works at all. We can't even get network intrusion detection systems to examine packets at this scale without tons of false positives -- you're telling me SAIC can make a *human* intrusion system that's worth a damn? Real time recording, parsing and scanning of the conversations of millions of visitors? I don't buy it.
Check out this Bruce Schneier interview from Newsweek where he talks about real security vs security theatre. He basically says that surveillance, ID cards etc just provide an illusion of security (especially when limited to only a few sites: secure the olympic statium and they'll bomb the subway, or the CBD, or the stock exchange etc). Real security in the context of terrorism comes from better intelligence gathering and better spooks.
Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling
That last bit should have read "NOT act as a tool . . ." Damn hasty preview. Our nation has never been perfect (Native American genocide, slavery, etc.) but at least there has always been a strong element of idealism and respect for fellow man. These days, even that gets drowned out by greed, lust and a deep mistrust of anyone that's not yourself. It can't go on like this for long.
harmonious design
The passener railway line into the Olympics crosses over a major expressway on its way into and out of the Olympics site. All that was required to disrupt the Sydney games was to drive a semitrailer packed with deso and fertiliser under that bridge and set it off. Boom, all spectator access into and out of the Olympics site gone (and a train full of passengers if the timing was right) and publicity galore.
I ran this by a friend after the games. He is quite senior in the Army Reserve (National Guard) and was working on Games security. He confirmed that such a possibility had not been guarded against and basically said 'so what, it was outside our brief to have security there.'
Point is, there is always a way around security, particularly if there doesn't have to be an escape route.
harmonious design
yes I'll believe that the day Iraq joins OPEC so that they can get the maximum price for their oil. Until then we can all safely presume they will continue to be our puppet govt.
evil is as evil does
I did not say muslims. I specified islamists meaning islamic fundamentalist suicide bomber types. I understand that there are millions of muslims in this world who wish these nut jobs would just go kill themselves quietly in a corner. I also understand that muslims who choose to ignore the problem are complicit with those who would blow up women and children in a street market.
I'm a pro-life Catholic, but if I knew someone from my church was planning to blow up a Planned Parenthood I would do everything in my power to stop them. This is not about politics, this is not about religion, this is not about power. This is about the rule of law and the responsibility of every human being to be a contributing member of society at large. That means the dual responsibility of respecting others rights while ensuring that other people stay within their boundaries.
My mom was at the salt lake Olympics... she had recently seen on the news that they would have snipers perched throughout the venues. She whispered into my uncles ear "I wonder where the snipers are" instantly it was obvious that all the security in the area starting watching them. This lasted all day as they moved from venue to venue constantly being watched. The on the way home they were followed by unmarked ford explored to my uncles home in salt lake. There was a government car out front all night long. They finally left when they saw my mother help my aunt into the car (she has ms). Needless to say everyone was freaked out. I can't imagine how much better the tech has gotten since then?
http://www.DaveNet.biz/
And some might add that trying to obtain NZ passports fraudulently (as some Israeli Mossad agents did recently) to carry out illegal activities (ie. assassinations) in other countries constitutes a terrorist act too.
(A terrorist act on NZ's sovereignty, and a terrorist act in whichever country they decide to murder someone -Be it Bolivia, Mexico, or even Canada.)