tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post2310358035723772887..comments2024-03-27T23:55:17.673-07:00Comments on Flogging Babel: While You Sleep, the Cameras Are Being PreppedMichael Swanwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18389836784776252022noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post-27002761575792128782009-01-08T23:00:00.000-08:002009-01-08T23:00:00.000-08:00It's not necessary for them to tag every packet; t...It's not necessary for them to tag every packet; the deal NSA has with the telecom companies allows them to read something like 40% of all packets that go through the backbone of the internet in realtime. And that's only packets that go through US backbone sites, so it's aimed squarely at US residents.<BR/><BR/>You're right, though, the offhand denial that people don't want privacy is a serious problem. Unfortunately, it seems to be true to that most people are willing to give up (probably more than they realize) privacy in return for the equivalent of the toaster that banks used to give away with new accounts.<BR/><BR/>The government is not the only entity that wants information about us. Marketing organizations in large corporations are spending huge amounts of money to build databases about our interests, purchasing decisions, and anything else that gives them an edge in selling things to us. And while the government's success in getting us to allow them to spy on us is based on telling us it will make us more secure, the corporations success is based on our not noticing what they're doing.SpeakerToManagershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17543351493493167488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post-88085794806384356812009-01-08T07:16:00.000-08:002009-01-08T07:16:00.000-08:00My concern is that we appear to be losing even the...My concern is that we appear to be losing even the concept of privacy, and apparently without noticing it much. A guy in the defense industry, defending his assertion that a way should be found to tag every packet of information on the Net (which I don't think is technically possible, so that's probably not an issue), told me that "Young people have no sense of privacy anymore." My son and his friends were outraged by that. But the sentiment is definitely out there.Michael Swanwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18389836784776252022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post-30298599495450991452009-01-08T00:05:00.000-08:002009-01-08T00:05:00.000-08:00When any who wish to can watch what you're doing, ...When any who wish to can watch what you're doing, privacy is not in the picture. And is it truly privacy we're concerned with here, or a lack of control over our own lives?mythusmagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10458869083534878283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post-38097968798616876742009-01-07T13:23:00.000-08:002009-01-07T13:23:00.000-08:00This isn't a new issue; a number of cities have be...This isn't a new issue; a number of cities have been installing traffic cameras, centralizing the control and monitoring of existing systems, and moving toward real-time license plate and/or face detection. London has been turned into a goldfish bowl by the "Ring of Iron" but so far as I know, that hasn't stopped any real terrorist threats so far, though that was it's orginal (stated) purpose.<BR/><BR/>I have the same old-school attitude about privacy, but I have to agree with Tom Purdom that surveillance of public spaces isn't a violation of civil rights. My concern is that it will muddy the issues when (not if in my opinion) governments start pushing their surveillance into more private areas. The argument is sure to be made that we accepted the traffic cameras and nothing awful happened, so how could more be bad? Not a logical argument, but it's not the logical arguments that win elections or establish public acceptance of government functioning. And I'm not at all sure that Purdom is right that going beyond the public places will upset enough people to prevent it being done. Not enough people seem to be bothered by the complete ineffectiveness (and downright counter-productiveness) of the TSA "Security Theater" at US airports to put a stop to it.<BR/><BR/><I>But still. For such a major step as this . . . shouldn't we have been consulted first?</I><BR/><BR/>What, and run the risk we'd say no?SpeakerToManagershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17543351493493167488noreply@blogger.com