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Chuck Schumer Tells Apple and Google To "Curb Your Spy Planes"
mk1004 writes with news from The Register that U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York has written to Apple and Google regarding their use of 'military-grade spy planes.' The Senator claims concerns ranging from voyeurism to terrorism. Suggested protections: Warn when areas are going to be imaged, give property owners the right to opt out, and blurring of individuals. Schumer seems happy enough, though, with the more detailed versions of such surveillance being in the hands of law enforcement agencies, and phrases his complaint to emphasize what he perceives as risks to infrastructure brought about by detailed maps that anyone can browse: "[I]f highly detailed images become available, criminals could create more complete schematic maps of the power and water grids in the United States. With the vast amount of infrastructure across the country, it would be impossible to secure every location."
that "WTSHTF" is often referred to as "When the Schumer Hits the Fan".
So what is Chuck doing in his back yard that he doesn't want everyone to see, hmmm????
"Murderer? Well, that's a harsh word. I prefer to think of myself as a Mortality Technician."
Come on there must be better way... Perhaps by having a raid array of the appropriate infrastructure?
let's completely ignore the societal and economic benefits of such technology because ... fear, people. Fear.
GPS used to have a 1km fudge factor inserted into it to prevent people using it for terrorist activities.
Not that I'm entirely sure how I feel about Google using drones to improve Google Earth. If I have a privacy fence up... well, it's to protect my privacy. Taking pictures from a low flying drone isn't much different than leaning a ladder against the fence and climbing up to peer over. On the other hand, it's a one time thing (or at least rare) and the same viewing angle can be achieved any number of ways that people don't have a problem with (if nothing else manned aircraft). I think I'm actually going to have to think about this one a bit...
Senator Schumer,
You seem to be arguing that drone usage by private companies violates the privacy and/or security of the American public. Many people agree with that. Additionally, many people agree that drone usage by Law Enforcement Agencies and US Federal Agencies also violates the privacy and/or security of the American public.
I find it hypocritical, then, that you would simultaneously support the use of armed drones in the US by Federal Agencies and Law Enforcement while objecting to unarmed drone use by private enterprise. Perhaps I'm not understanding your position clearly. Perhaps, and I believe this to be more likely, I am.
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Your lips are moving.
Nice grandstanding. Have you seen the Planet Earth series? I'd say that's probably better than "military grade" video. Actually, there's a lot of stuff out there better than military grade. Get over it.
Aside from being able to map out things from the comfort of your Abbottabad living room using a single source instead of doing regular old recon (it's not hard, or particularly obvious), there's no change except a perceptual one. He is correct that it is effectively impossible to secure every location. A better plan would be to build in the redundancy that should have been there in the first place. If my power goes out - way out in the country - for a week, it sucks to be me, but the 30,000 of us can manage. If power to the east coast goes out for a week, that's really, really bad. Perhaps you should consider a more robust system that is less prone to single point failures?
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
It precisely is building a schematic map of power grids...
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
You do realize that Chuck Schumer is a Democrat, right? Definitely not a Tea Party guy.
Fail
sudo make me a sandwich
Schumer doesn't give a rat's behind about privacy. What he cares about is calling attention to himself so that he can go on bullying the private sector from his imperial senate seat
FTA: "...Google and Apple have upgraded their capabilities to aircraft-based photography that can see through windows and capture detailed images with four-inch resolution."
Four-inch resolution? I guess I don't have anything to worry about!
You first, Chucky!
Yet another mealy-mouthed, two-faced, lying, dinosaur of a career politician that should be swinging from the end of a rope instead of being in a position of government power.
A Google drone might spot a greenhouse in my backyard and target horticultural product ads at me. The horror!
A government drone might spot the same greenhouse and target a SWAT raid on me. Or a Hellfire missile.
If Chucky and his TLA buddies can fly a drone over me, I should be able to fly a drone over Chucky & friends.
Maybe an open-source drone project for civilians to counter the governments domestic drone spying with their own spy drones? I bet a few civilian drones buzzing over these politician's own homes and offices would get some attention.
And if the government decides to severely restrict civilian drone use while giving free reign to TLA/LEO drones, maybe my experience with designing military missile & torpedo guidance/targeting systems could find civilian counter-applications.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
Government has powers to put anyone in jail.
Private companies can not hold their employees against their will.
This is hypocrisy too?
Lisias@Earth.SolarSystem.OrionArm.MilkyWay.Local.Virgo.Universe.org
Clearly we need to ban the printing of publicly available plat maps (hint, they predate computers by at least a century!),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plat
shut down GIS websites, and remove all info on everything from the Terrorist Intarwebs!
Plat maps show pipelines, power company and utility easements, and are absolutely fundamental to real estate transactions. Fuck, let's ban realtors too. The keep compromising "MLS listing books" the CommieIslamoNazis could use to kill our freedom.
Next time you see so-called "gun control" legislation pimped by Schumer, you'll have an insight into how his mind works!
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
well, it's only impossible to secure every location for every conceivable threat.
of course the only logical answer is to design the infrastructure so that you can't just blow up one booth and have the whole east coast go into a cascading failure.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
With the vast amount of infrastructure across the country, it would be impossible to secure every location.
It IS impossible to secure every location. Will American policy makers ever address the problem of WHY people want to attack the US? Will the US ever adopt a proactive approach to defense?
I'm fortunate to live in a country with virtually identical amenities and standard of living compared to the US, yet we don't inspire even a fraction of the fanatical hatred aimed at the US. Why is it, Americans, that people on the other side of the globe, who do not speak your language and have never been to your country, detest you with such fervour they would kill themselves to inflict harm on you?
I'm not justifying their position; I'm just saying it's a question that bears asking.