Slashdot Mirror
Transparency Grenade Collects and Leaks Sensitive Data
Zothecula writes "If you thought WikiLeaks was a disruptive idea, the transparency grenade is going to blow you away. This tiny bit of hardware hidden under the shell shaped like a classic Soviet F1 hand grenade allows you to leak information from anywhere just by pulling a pin. The device is essentially a small computer with a powerful wireless antenna and a microphone. Following 'detonation,' the grenade intercepts local network traffic and captures audio data, then makes the information immediately available online."
Combine this with intel's solar powered chips and you can spread them like johnny appleseed where they're needed. Or, as a variation, set them up as fileservers with copies of music, movie, and media files and seed them everywhere until the *IAA's give up the ghost for good.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
To actually be useful, it should like like a cell phone, a pad of post-it notes, a small notebook, a random piece of garbage like a crumpled up paper or something similarly inconspicuous. Making it look like a grenade is just dumb.
It's not marketing, like you'd think. If you RTFA...
"The Transparency Grenade was created in January 2012 by Julian Oliver for the Studio Weise7 exhibition at Labor 8, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, curated by Transmediale 2012 Director, Kristoffer Gansing."
And on their webpage you get more information...
"The Studio Weise7 exhibition brings together a series of works that frame a volatile interrogation of our increased dependence on machines, computer networks, databases and digital automation. The works consist of curious devices, software and circuitry, each representing a unique, critical engagement with the challenges of our "techno-political condition". In doing so, they serve as triggers for discourse, code for study and tools for deployment."
So this device is them attempting to market an idea, and their art, rather than a product.
This is my footer. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Well the problem is that you tuned out after looking at the pictures.
It was made for an art exhibit in Germany and the creator is working on making an app for Android phones that will mimic the basic functionality.
The open sourcing and commoditization of hardware is bringing us the kind of technology that once required the R&D budget of a large company or the CIA..
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
The powerful already have all the tools they need to eliminate your privacy. This is a tool for us to eliminate their privacy.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
It will cause you to quite literally be blown away by law enforcement when they see you holding what appears to be a grenade.
Joking aside, I fail to see how this is supposed to be comparable to wikileaks. While wikileaks is undeniably intended to help whistleblowers, this is a tool suitable for multiple (not not necessarily ethical) purposes. Mind, I don't see too many corporate espionage agents actually using this as is...
As far as I can tell this idea is neither disruptive nor in any way similar to Wikileaks. Am I missing something?
It's. Art.
Admit nothing. Deny Everything. Make Counter-accusations.
Just because it's art does not mean that it isn't stupid.
Come to think of it, I need that printed up on a shirt....
Misery loves company. Online misery loves unsuspecting random strangers.
The grenade would report back absolutely no information.
Ahh, so because it's shaped like a grenade it constitutes art
No, it's art because it was made by hand, there's only one of them, and it's on display at a fucking art exhibition.
Since you obviously want me to respond to your point, I will.
The op said...
"...they're probably selling it...where do I purchase the marketing grenade? They're not telling. That's where the real money is."
So, no. It's not like like the OP thinks. He believes this is a product, that some company is selling. It isn't.
More so...
"So what you're saying is that they are marketing something and now Slashdot is helping them."
This only holds if you consider anything where someone attempts to communicate anything to anyone else, as marketing. That could be correct in a technical definition of the term, however it would be wrong in the casual definition of the term which is synonymous with "commercial advertising".
If you think "Yes, this advertises the gallery/artist/idea", then you'd be correct, and every single piece of art in history, has been "marketing". Additionally, every single academic paper, would also be "marketing".
This is my footer. There are many like it, but this one is mine.