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Big Brother Really Is Watching Us All
siddesu writes "The BBC has a nice high-level overview of some technologies for surveillance developed in the US and the UK. 'The US and UK governments are developing increasingly sophisticated gadgets to keep individuals under their surveillance. When it comes to technology, the US is determined to stay ahead of the game ... But it [a through-the wall sensing device in development] will also show whether someone inside a house is looking to harm you, because if they are, their heart rate will be raised. And 10 years from now, the technology will be much smarter. We'll scan a person with one of these things and tell what they're actually thinking.'"
Boy that surprise birthday present sure landed me in jail quick. I hope I can explain that brand new S&M outfit adequately in court!
Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
I'll become a millionaire overnight selling my own brand of tin-foil clothing!
CAUTION: May cook organs/skin during warm weather.
Terrorists will simply train themselves to remain calm and lower their heartrate.
* chirp * chirp *
.. I'll just think of tub girl and goatse.cx man all day. take that fuckers.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
"And 10 years from now, the technology will be much smarter. We'll scan a person with one of these things and tell what they're actually thinking."
I call crap on this. We will be able to detect biometric data. We will not be able to tell "what you're thinking."
I grew up in Poland in the 1960s and 1970s. This is the sort of shit we dealt with each day.
The Communists claimed to have devices that could read minds to determine one's intentions. Now, we didn't know if this was true or not. But seeing as many of us wanted to live another day, or at the very least not get tortured, we assumed they did.
It seems that the citizenry of the UK and the US are now in a very similar position....
I'd rather the government not base their decision on whether to come in guns blazing on something as ridiculous as whether my heart rate is increased above some theoretical average at the time.
Big brother has nothing on Ceiling cat
To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
--E.C. Stanton
So in the end, my question is what can we do about it? It's impossible to get the masses (in the US) to actually get out and do something about this right now, I just don't think they care enough. Mass opinion is that if you don't have anything to worry about the government finding then don't worry about them watching you.
The only credible methods I've seen for avoiding surveilance involve actually destroying the surveilance equipment.
The only way to circumvent them is by RF jamming, wire cutting and creating a bright spot around you at all times to flood the camera view - which involves wearing bright LED's or a laser.
Does this mean that eventually there are going to be rogue groups going around and destroying government surveilance equipment? I think so. When you feel you're cornered you do what you have to.
Does this mean that people who are planning terrorist attacks in the future will develop plans to destroy/jam all of the surveilance equipment if they want to get out alive? Definately.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Big Brother: I've seen many chickens cross many roads. Please specify.
In the snap of the chilly evening,
My face frozen like a thrull,
The roaring of the howling wind
Is deafening to all.
House minions roam out in force,
Trying to fathom thoughts
Of Citizens within their homes,
Whose actions they know naught.
Fahrenheit Four Fifty One, and
Huxley's Brave New World
Form siren lures to power lords
Elected and unfurled.
The weak attempts must duly fail
Of the Bretheren of Cain;
Cordwainer Smith declared it best -
Scanners Live In Vain
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
I'd rather the government not base their decision on whether to come in guns blazing on something as ridiculous as whether my heart rate is increased...
They will base the decision on your political expression and activism, the other things will simply justify your murder. The elevated heart rate will come when they ask you if you and your children would like some pancakes. The report will say that they had reason to believe you were armed and dangerous.
Unless the US returns to rule of law, tools used to track individuals will be used to identify, harass, intimidate, disrupt and eliminate opposition. Domestic spying is against the law. Unreasonable search violates the Constitution. It is completely unreasonable for government or industry to keep tables of "gait DNA" and other metrics for people who have not committed crimes. The purpose for this kind of thing is a crime in itself.
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
Actually, modern technology can detect the magnetic fields that your firing neurons produce right now. This is where you get all those images of "brain activity" that you see. It is very much a non-invasive and passive technology, and could, theoretically, be carried out remotely. If studies are carried out in real situations, they could correlate the patterns of brain activity with the the apparent intent of the individual (assuming that similar intentions make similar patterns). The result is they could tell what you are thinking (in a rudimentary way). It's not really that far fetched.
I'm beginning to think society is getting rather close to an era of ubiquitous surveillance ... where virtually every action (and eventually even thoughts) of every person is viewable, recordable, replayable, broadcastable, etc.
... corporate executives looking to skim a little cream for themselves ... politicians inking secret deals ... extremist groups looking to do harm to others in society ... that asshole neighbour who puts his garbage in front of your house late at night to avoid the excess bag charge ... everybody.
It's a scary thought at first, but then I got to thinking that as the technologies behind this mature and become more powerful (as all technologies do) we will eventually reach a point where "everybody" really means "everybody"
Maybe, just maybe, ubiquitous surveillance will be the thing that saves humankind from the antisocial forces that currently plague us. When anybody can have their actions exposed on YouTube (or whatever the equivalent is in the future), people will be shamed into behaving in decent, harmonious way. It will be like some kind of techno-buddhist utopia.
FTFA: "will also show whether someone inside a house is looking to harm you, because if they are, their heart rate will be raised"
ummmm.... or how about scared shitless from the armed men outside that 'may' want to cause you harm for raising a heart rate!!!
Where's the tags "tinfoilhatbait" or "overlordbait"?
The game.
We'll scan a person with one of these things and tell what they're actually thinking.'"
Jim, Jim, what's Jack thinking?
Umm...
Well, come-on, Jim. What is it?
Umm... he's thinking that we're a bunch of lamers because we're scanning him with the BB-1600, and everybody who's anybody has a MBB-8, which is what he's got.
Ah, come on. They both work. The MBB-8 just comes in more colors.
Yeah. Mac fan boys. Piss me off.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
I'm inclined to agree that we will no more be able to tell what a person is thinking than a computer can understand what they've written. That may not matter: if we think we can know what a person is thinking, then we may act on it anyway. We already are: Ohio Court Admits Lie Detector Tests As Evidence.
There is already court precedent for this in the U.S.
Through-the-wall IR scanners have been available to some police departments in the US for a while now. There has already been at least one court case about them.
In the United States (yes, still), it is illegal for officers of law enforcement to use electronic means to determine what is going on in your home without first obtaining a judicial warrant. The case I mentioned dealt with police using an through-the-wall scanner to determine where an alleged drug dealer was inside someone else's house, before they raided it. Because they had not obtained a warrant, the evidence was thrown out of court. The judge ruled that it was clearly an electronic device, and thus fell under the Federal Statute preventing its use.
I wish I had a citation at hand for this case, but I do not. I will try to find it.
"Actually, modern technology can detect the magnetic fields that your firing neurons produce right now. This is where you get all those images of "brain activity" that you see. It is very much a non-invasive and passive technology, and could, theoretically, be carried out remotely."
*sigh*
Now I can see why you all think broadband is "unlimited".
In plain English the energy is too small. The attenuation is too great. And no useful device is sensitive enough. Let along the resolution is too poor. And I haven't even touched upon the issue of matching "brain activity" with "what you think" in other than the most superficial way.
...he really needs to get a life!
Interestingly, we, the public, don't seem to mind. Opinion polls, both in the US and Britain, say that about 75% of us want more, not less, surveillance.
I think we've just found the next Jason Blair.
I have to call bullshit on this one. In my entire life, I have met atheists and believers, gays and straights, liberals and conservatives, and not once, ever, in my life have I met someone who espoused more surveillance. Now, I live in a large metropolitan area - one with numerous projects involving installing more surveillance cameras, and even the most conservative, cop-loving suburbanites are at best indifferent, and quite often, vehemently opposed. There's a lot of hostility, but absolutely no support. The law of statistics would dictate that if 75% of the population supported more surveillance, I would have - at least once in my life - have heard someone argue in support of it. But I've never heard it from anyone. Not even the most gullible of idiots or stupidest of patriots I've met has ever said they'd like to see more surveillance.
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
Did anyone else notice they've basically developed the "heartbeat sensor" described in Rainbow Six in 1999 or so?
So your significant other is on the other side of the wall whispering sweet nothings and describing the slinky nightie she currently has on, your elevated heart rate could get you in trouble? Sounds to me like the government just killed seduction.
I'm not tense. I'm just terribly, terribly, alert.
"Clearly they are infringing on my client's religious rights and patented technology."
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
Kyllo v. U.S. is probably what you're looking for. The legal standard has fluctuated a bit in recent years, but right now the Court is sticking with "general public use," for determining whether a particular type of technology constitutes a search.
What?
If they really decide to be dicks about this "through the wall" surveillance shit, I'll definitely open up a market for me. I'll buy rolls of copper cloth, sew it inbetween pieces of fabric, and start marketing my new and exciting line of Faraday Clothes.
Soon after I do this, weavers of copper cloth will be required to report all their sales over fifty square feet to the DEA. Wearing faraday clothes will be considered evidence of guilt, like an encrypted hard drive. If you install fine-weave copper mesh in your walls, it will be used to get a warrant for a midnight raid. Y'know, like if you use too much power today.
I'm only half joking... I actually think making faraday-cage clothes would be neat just to have them.
the real story is getting spied on by your fellow citizens: cell phone cameras, spouses spying on cheating spouses via pc snooping programs, electronic tollbooth records, etc.
and yes, the reverse: little brother: citizens spying on the government, a la the rodney king beating in los angeles, over 15 years ago
but unfortunately, a meme gets head of wind: the government is spying on us all, and it gets kneejerk in its conclusion, and unquestioned
but that's not the real story here. mainly because of motive: the government has very little reason to care where you were at midnight last night. but your wife or husband does
the government also doesn't care much if you are a subway flasher. but your victim with a cell phone camera does
and so these are the real stories going on with the growth of video recording technologies and other intrusive electronic surveillance
but the big brother meme will not die, driven by paranoid fantasies a la b-grade hollywood movie plots
folks: the government doesn't care that much about you. but YOUR NEIGHBOR, YOUR WIFE, YOUR BOYFRIEND: THEY DO
THAT'S the real story: how new intrusive technologies empowers THESE people, not the government... AND the real story is about how these technologies embolden citizens to fight the government too!
enough with orwell, 1984, and big brother. in its time, it was a powerful story. nowadays, it has lost it's analytical strength about the state of the world
a lot of you are forming your concerns with a fable written by a guy who was mostly concerned with dealing with nazi era and cold war era governmental issues. that era is over. you all need a new meme. the big brother meme is dead. it has no more real thematic power in the state of the world as it is today. a lot of your are living in brains that work in the cold war era in terms of analyzing realistic fears, listing valid concerns, and forming a useful agenda. and you are failing it
enough with big brother. that meme is dead. everyone turn your attention to little brother. a new list of concerns for you to contemplate. a new reality. god bless george orwell. a great writer. i loved animal farm. but with the passing of communism's grip on the world, so has the era of orwell, so has passed the validity of the facts about the world he lived in that formed the power of his stories
welcome to the 21st century folks. please update your world view. it is outdated
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Similar to the upcoming US election results
http://www.mysecureisp.com/
...will saying someone wears a tin foil hat be an expression of how wise you think they are?
This space available.
He glanced at me quizzically, noticing my apprehension.
"Yeah, I know," he said. "It sounds very Star Trekkish, but that's what's ahead."
Excuse me?!?
Precisely which episode of Star Trek??? Mirror, Mirror or The Wire?
[End Of Line]
I know you've all heard, "if you don't like it here, why don't you go somewhere else," or something to that effect. That doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Third world countries are improving their IT infrastructure. Mexico is cracking down on its police corruption and gang violence. I'm sure their economies are going to improve too since industrialized nations are outsourcing much of their work to those places. You might lose a few freedoms, because each country has different laws and restrictions, but you'll most likely gain more since the US & UK have so many laws, ordinances, codes, rules, and regulations.
For a long while, people have immigrated here and brain-drained there own countries. It's sort of like an economy of human resources. If other countries become more attractive, then like business, people will start moving there too.
You can keep your tinfoil hat on!
Now, wait a minute. Are they "sensing" through American walls (cardboard, wood and plaster) or through European walls (bricks or concrete) ? There's quite a bit of difference here, as anyone who tried to set up a WLAN may have found out
Echelon.
AT&T
4,285,000 CCTV cameras in the UK"
Well, blow me, but I don't think that 4,285,000 video cameras were installed by vindictive girlfriends and envious neighbors, who you seem to suggest are the real threat. --It seems, rather, that somebody in government might have a deeply rooted obsession with keeping the populace under surveillance.
You seem to think that the term "Big Brother" is intended by those using it to refer literally and only to George Orwell's exact vision of totalitarianism. That's just silly. Dangerous governments which do not reflect, and which seek to subvert and undermine the will of the people, come in a variety of flavours, but they all operate in the same spirit. As such, "Big Brother" is a useful term to use when referring to this kind of government because everybody is already familiar with it and understands what it implies. Find another term which so aptly sums up a half million CCTV's and a secret system to evesdrop on all telephone and computer communications. To call "Big Brother" a meme is not just peculiar, but outright discordant with the reality of governments which are furiously spending enormous effort to ensure that everybody really is being watched and listened to all the time.
You suggest that the government doesn't care what Joe Average says or thinks. That's nuts. If they didn't care, why would they spend such enormous effort to shape people's beliefs and behavior? It took a lot of work to sell the Iraqi war. WMD's and Iraq's fictitious connection to 9-11, and now the 'threat' of Iran are not penny ante school election campaign posters.
Yes, Joe Average, since he has already been sold the Bush bill of goods, dosed up on anti-depressants, fattened into gluten goo by an inverted food pyramid, addicted to television and video games, and overworked and debt ridden, hardly needs to be especially worried over. But psychopaths are eternally paranoid. The craving for safety and control is an endless hunger which seek to monitor and control every possible vector of threat. This is why the UK has a camera on every corner, and why AT&T, (and heaven knows who else), is actively working with the secret services to make it possible to monitor every single person in the USA who has ever clapped one ear to a telephone receiver. Or do you still believe that the "War on Terror" is the real reason? There was a time when you wouldn't have written such drivel.
--The sad part is that this circletimessquare clown used to be an intellectual of some significance, but these days his arguments are painfully weak, his once boldly acerbic style has gone soft and he is sounding dangerously close to confusing his W's with his M's. (He certainly can't seem to find his shift key anymore.) The problem with cleaving to the dark side is that it rots your brain.
Hm. . .
Well, now shucks! I went and used lots of words and punctuation and I said I was going to try to avoid that. Terribly sorry. I guess I'll just never be a bridge-building diplomat.
-FL
What's frightening is that these people developing this stuff haven't yet seen an ethical issue with what they're doing.
Amnesty International
the concept of telepathy is pure fiction and could not work because no two people have the same native internal base dictionary
How do you know that telepathy relies on an internal base dictionary?
Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
Except that that plan is merely a proposal by a non-partisan body, one that's chaired by a Republican, and has no legislative support.
Why are Republicans always projecting their faults onto everyone else?
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
This is what I've hear anyway. I hear that the cheapest and easiest way to get massive amounts of electromagenetic noise is a cheap dimmer switch on an AC circuit such as a lamp. I'm not quite sure why that is, but I've read that this is the kind of thing that really causes headaches for people trying to do remote monitoring as opposed to some fancy James Bond signal jammer doohickie. I'm not sure if the same thing applies to cheap carbon potentiometers on a DC circuit. I'm sure somebody here knows and perhaps even has some math to back it up.