Ah, remember the good old days when only the KGB and the East German Stasi were this interested in watching their citizens with such zeal?
Story 1: The Senate hearings into computer surveillance:
A special U.S. Senate hearing is expected in Philadelphia Monday to discuss the issue of remote computer surveillance.
Senator Arlen Specter, D-Pa., said the subcommittee on crime and drugs will examine federal laws concerning remote tracking software. Specter, the subcommittee chairman, said new legislation may be needed to address webcam surveillance.
The hearing comes in the wake of a laptop spying controversy in the Lower Merion School District.
Story 2: Video Surveillance deployed inside London Public Bathrooms where you have to pay 50p to pee.
You can imagine my surprise after I paid my 50pence to use the public bathroom, walked in and found myself staring at not just one but three ceiling mounted video surveillance cameras. I had to get real close to their enclosures to convince myself that I wasn’t seeing things. Not only was it really there, but it was a Pan-Tilt-Zoom model with a microphone to top it off. Must get some great noises coming from there. It has also been reported that London officials are now installing cameras with speakers to allow them to talk as well as see and listen. Perhaps its just me, but I had absolutely no idea that this was legal anywhere, let alone in downtown London, UK. Sure I knew that London has more cameras per square mile than any other country on the planet, but in bathrooms?! How are they getting away with that one? It is appalling!
Story 3: Warner Bros. Recruits Students to Spy on Pirates
The people who work at the anti-piracy divisions of Warner Bros. and other large media companies have to be experts in file-sharing technology. It is therefore no surprise that Warner Bros. is actively recruiting students for a job as Anti-Piracy Intern, as most students have grown up sharing files.
Warner Bros Entertainment UK is currently offering an internship to “IT literate” students with knowledge of file-sharing networks to assist in the company’s ongoing anti-piracy efforts. The internship deals with both digital and physical piracy and among other things the applicant will have to make trap purchases and maintain accounts at private file-sharing sites.
Don’t you feel much safer?
Cool.. Put camera’s everyplace. Make them the kind that sees through your clothing. Ever heard of a naked suicide bomber. Superstition is the problem, not people ignoring superstitions.
Wow, Uncle Dave, you make even valid points badly!
Hacking together three unrelated articles doesn’t make your point. It certainly does not prove that Arlen Specter wants web cams in bathrooms.
I’m no fan of Arlen Specter. (even after he changed the “R” to “D”)
However, I support hearings. Technology has massively changed — especially related to privacy issues — and laws have not kept up.
When the Republicans ran everything under Bush Jr, technology underwent a massive change. Yet, they did nothing to protect our privacy rights — because conservatives believe doing nothing is the best way to govern.
Well, I disagree. I think the government needs to actively address the issues of personal privacy in the technology age.
Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it…yes?
-that aside..IF we ever get to rebuild our country back the way it used to be.. I think making Orwell’s 1984 a required reading and book report for 9th, 12th and again in the first year of college, a mandatory affair.
If this was done back in the 50’s, there is a good chance the populous would not be so blind to the blatantly obvious Big Brother police state being formed right before our very eyes.. let alone the corruption that is sold as “good for the people”
-s
Wow… an internship. You get to work for us for free because we are too cheap to consider paying for a professional.
US Constitutional law already has the concept of “personal privacy” with a lot of case law explaining the particulars. Different rules for what the government can do and what private individuals can do. Often different rules apply from State to State.
If you have “a reasonable expectation of privacy”–eg in your doctors office, in the bathroom, in your own home then all this surveillance concern should be held in balance/in check.
Sad thing, as even some of the moderators here show==few people understand/accept what “reasonable” means.
#2: What the hell are you talking about? Where did you get the idea that the three articles had anything related other than they are about how we are being increasingly spied upon?
How many other readers have just stuck post-it notes over their web cameras?
Nanny state governments like those in the EU and what the current government is striving to create her are firm believers that government officials need to observe and record our every action and guide us in making the proper choices. If you don’t like it then you are wrong and will be re-educated.
#2 What has Obama done to protect our privacy rights? Everything Bush did to invade privacy got the complete support of the Dems and those laws are still very much in place.
On that topic Bush and Obama are in complete accord. Their view is that if you aren’t doing something wrong you should have no objections to having your every moment recorded and if you are doing something wrong, that is something they don’t agree with, then you need to be re-educated.
if you haven’t done anything wrong, then you have nothing to fear about being waterboarded!!
HI!
I’m just curious…can any of you commenters see me? I can see you.
Oh, Uncle Dave, I don’t think that’s legal. But don’t worry, your secret is safe.
Rusty,
you need to understand a small trick..
A bot/virus can add an instruction to turn on your CAM and mic..Very easily.
I used to look forward to one day visiting Europe and the U.K. Now, if I ever go, I think I’ll skip England, especially London.
Uncle..
There ARE a few tricks..
remember 1 thing about cameras and Audio..
They work off HZ.. not VOLTS.
HZ can be messed with VERY easily..
restriction is RANGE.
Neatest trick, is called a Heavy Magnet(cow magnet, look it up) near the recording/broadcast cable..
“if you haven’t done anything wrong, then you have nothing to fear”..
..is utter bullshit, there is a clear difference to what is illegal (and perhaps justified by video) and what is embarrassing and defamatory(not justified), but it doesn’t matter if you have nothing to hide. right?
they will just record it all, just in case, and likely use it against you at some stage.
give me privacy or a government issued straight jacket, not both.
wake up fools and smell the “thought police brewing their coffee”