culture
I note that articles about google now appear under "culture" in wired, and not under "technology".
Yes, yes, yes. The dreaded digital overlord is here. Google knows all bout you. I've written about this before but, me think, we're just gonna have to get used to it. Technology is here, now, and it keeps improving with regards to collecting, organizing and storing data. Storing large amounts of data on every living and dead person is becoming ever more feasable, and crosslinking of databases is not a technological hurdle. Not really.
And the future will bring ever more digital devices storing ever more data and they'll increasingly linked to global networks.
Let's extrapolate ten years and put some of the prototypes of today into mainstream use.
Let's start with the kitchen; the fridge is ofcourse connected to the net, it can automatically shop for you by ordering online and have the food delivered.
Now someone can hack it and know through extrapolation how many people live in the house(the amount of food), and ofcourse, what they eat. Changes(people coming and going) will show up as spikes in the statistical data. In other words, a powerful surveillance tool. Hackable by anyone who *really* wants to do it(basically, your enemies -if you have any). Also, kids out to do malice may have fun altering your orders, you wanted frozen pizza? Well, the kids thought 200 liters of olive oil might do the trick. You'll have to pay for it ofcourse, and may perhaps go to court to get your money back. Yes, yes, yes ... and so on.
Your TV is ofcourse connected, everything you see and tape is being logged; so that the TV may better choose a program you will like by doing statistical analysis of your choices so far. So, your enemies will know what you're watching, and the kids will hack the system so the TV only suggests things you really don't like, or just make it not turn on.
Your computer is obviously connected. And everything you do on that too is being logged.
Your portable music player is connected.
Your phone is connected.
Stuff you buy with no electronics in them still have RFID chips in them, so that the manufacturer and warehouses and retailers can plan better and be more effcient, with the added side-effect that anyone with a sensor can know the exact contents of your house, simply by driving by it.
Satelites whoosh by in space and they get ever better resolution, soon good enough to see you in a crowd. Being somewhere you really shouldn't be?
The databases knows about it.
We can track your credit-card, your phone, your ipod2015, your clothes(maybe the phone is built into them, or they have RFID). As you journey through the city you pass a million surveillance cameras, they're all online.
If you are sinister and wants to track someone, it's too fucking easy. If you want to protect your habits, well, I haven't got an advice, move to a cave...
...no that wouldn't work. You'd be detected by thermal imaging satelites, by the massive 'dangerous animal tracking system' which has put microchips in every animal in the forest. The scientists are really learing alot of fascinating stuff about migration patterns and stuff, and the populace is happy because now they get a warning whenever a bear or something comes calling(Your phone or clothes or whatever broadcasts your position and this goes into the animal database, it's all automatic).
It is so cheap to track someone it feels foolish not to do it.
The benefits are many, no more traffic jams as traffic computers track every vehicle and every person inside of them. If you have an accident, don't worry, the ambulance is on it's way already -the insurance claims are already filed and if there was any wrongdoing involved, the investigation is already over. If you did the wrongdoing -don't be sad, the lawyer is already alerted.
As you arrive in the hospital your next of kin is already there.
The databases will function as a vast machine, accomodating some wishes and denying others(no, you may not exceed the speed limit, the traffic control computer denies it to you -unless you're in an emergency, in which case all activity will be logged for subsequent investigation(like a black box in an airplane)).
Okay, enough of 2015, as you see, all that stuff and capabilities is here now, but not implemented on a massive scale.
There are rumors(conspiracy theory I assume) of something called echelon. A system the americans are supposed to have which already does all of this. If it's true it's only being used for "national security" reasons, although -its ofcourse subject to the current government to use or abuse it. The main purpose of echelon is basically to read every email sent over the internet, and perhaps to record every phone-call being made, looking for key-words like Jihad and kill George Bush(which, now included, would warrant this article to review). This would require really alot of supercomputers and storage at this stage. But in ten years a pc could do it(yes, that's an exaggeration, but you know -faster, better smaller is the credo here in data-land).
So, so much for the practicalities, now some ethics.
Well, I can't think of any. It is obviously bad if wicked people use all of this against decent, good people. And someone probably will. Governments probably will.
Say country A, using system A, hates country B, using system B.
For the good people in A -it would seem good to use this against the evil people in B. While the good people of B would feel no remorse to use it against A.
Yep. Cyberwarfare can make wars surprisingly boring to watch on TV.
"Sir, our elite hacking force have turned off their power and watersupply, disabled their communications, shut down all airports and harbors and trains, heck -they don't even have a car that isn't an antique that will even start. And the icing of the cake -we control their nuclear arsenal."
All in half an hour. Next morning they're negotiating terms of surrender without a shot having been fired.
Is that a good thing? It's an honest question, I really don't know. Don't much like war in any way.
Yes, yes, yes. Where is this all leading to?
Will it be a phaze, will we get over it(as a race), or is it the beginning of perpetual night as a dark society where every move you make and every word you say -I'll be watching you. I hope Sting don't sue.
The invisible iron prison of mr. Philip K. Dick, now realisable with technology. Or the icy Big Brother of 1984.
Forgive for being paranoid, but it's realism from my point of view.
Speaking of point, the point of all this blabbering is this:
The total surveillance society is now realisable. We must choose our leaders with great care and scrutiny(well didn't that sound ironic at this point -it really isn't).
Anyway,
ta for now
b
Yes, yes, yes. The dreaded digital overlord is here. Google knows all bout you. I've written about this before but, me think, we're just gonna have to get used to it. Technology is here, now, and it keeps improving with regards to collecting, organizing and storing data. Storing large amounts of data on every living and dead person is becoming ever more feasable, and crosslinking of databases is not a technological hurdle. Not really.
And the future will bring ever more digital devices storing ever more data and they'll increasingly linked to global networks.
Let's extrapolate ten years and put some of the prototypes of today into mainstream use.
Let's start with the kitchen; the fridge is ofcourse connected to the net, it can automatically shop for you by ordering online and have the food delivered.
Now someone can hack it and know through extrapolation how many people live in the house(the amount of food), and ofcourse, what they eat. Changes(people coming and going) will show up as spikes in the statistical data. In other words, a powerful surveillance tool. Hackable by anyone who *really* wants to do it(basically, your enemies -if you have any). Also, kids out to do malice may have fun altering your orders, you wanted frozen pizza? Well, the kids thought 200 liters of olive oil might do the trick. You'll have to pay for it ofcourse, and may perhaps go to court to get your money back. Yes, yes, yes ... and so on.
Your TV is ofcourse connected, everything you see and tape is being logged; so that the TV may better choose a program you will like by doing statistical analysis of your choices so far. So, your enemies will know what you're watching, and the kids will hack the system so the TV only suggests things you really don't like, or just make it not turn on.
Your computer is obviously connected. And everything you do on that too is being logged.
Your portable music player is connected.
Your phone is connected.
Stuff you buy with no electronics in them still have RFID chips in them, so that the manufacturer and warehouses and retailers can plan better and be more effcient, with the added side-effect that anyone with a sensor can know the exact contents of your house, simply by driving by it.
Satelites whoosh by in space and they get ever better resolution, soon good enough to see you in a crowd. Being somewhere you really shouldn't be?
The databases knows about it.
We can track your credit-card, your phone, your ipod2015, your clothes(maybe the phone is built into them, or they have RFID). As you journey through the city you pass a million surveillance cameras, they're all online.
If you are sinister and wants to track someone, it's too fucking easy. If you want to protect your habits, well, I haven't got an advice, move to a cave...
...no that wouldn't work. You'd be detected by thermal imaging satelites, by the massive 'dangerous animal tracking system' which has put microchips in every animal in the forest. The scientists are really learing alot of fascinating stuff about migration patterns and stuff, and the populace is happy because now they get a warning whenever a bear or something comes calling(Your phone or clothes or whatever broadcasts your position and this goes into the animal database, it's all automatic).
It is so cheap to track someone it feels foolish not to do it.
The benefits are many, no more traffic jams as traffic computers track every vehicle and every person inside of them. If you have an accident, don't worry, the ambulance is on it's way already -the insurance claims are already filed and if there was any wrongdoing involved, the investigation is already over. If you did the wrongdoing -don't be sad, the lawyer is already alerted.
As you arrive in the hospital your next of kin is already there.
The databases will function as a vast machine, accomodating some wishes and denying others(no, you may not exceed the speed limit, the traffic control computer denies it to you -unless you're in an emergency, in which case all activity will be logged for subsequent investigation(like a black box in an airplane)).
Okay, enough of 2015, as you see, all that stuff and capabilities is here now, but not implemented on a massive scale.
There are rumors(conspiracy theory I assume) of something called echelon. A system the americans are supposed to have which already does all of this. If it's true it's only being used for "national security" reasons, although -its ofcourse subject to the current government to use or abuse it. The main purpose of echelon is basically to read every email sent over the internet, and perhaps to record every phone-call being made, looking for key-words like Jihad and kill George Bush(which, now included, would warrant this article to review). This would require really alot of supercomputers and storage at this stage. But in ten years a pc could do it(yes, that's an exaggeration, but you know -faster, better smaller is the credo here in data-land).
So, so much for the practicalities, now some ethics.
Well, I can't think of any. It is obviously bad if wicked people use all of this against decent, good people. And someone probably will. Governments probably will.
Say country A, using system A, hates country B, using system B.
For the good people in A -it would seem good to use this against the evil people in B. While the good people of B would feel no remorse to use it against A.
Yep. Cyberwarfare can make wars surprisingly boring to watch on TV.
"Sir, our elite hacking force have turned off their power and watersupply, disabled their communications, shut down all airports and harbors and trains, heck -they don't even have a car that isn't an antique that will even start. And the icing of the cake -we control their nuclear arsenal."
All in half an hour. Next morning they're negotiating terms of surrender without a shot having been fired.
Is that a good thing? It's an honest question, I really don't know. Don't much like war in any way.
Yes, yes, yes. Where is this all leading to?
Will it be a phaze, will we get over it(as a race), or is it the beginning of perpetual night as a dark society where every move you make and every word you say -I'll be watching you. I hope Sting don't sue.
The invisible iron prison of mr. Philip K. Dick, now realisable with technology. Or the icy Big Brother of 1984.
Forgive for being paranoid, but it's realism from my point of view.
Speaking of point, the point of all this blabbering is this:
The total surveillance society is now realisable. We must choose our leaders with great care and scrutiny(well didn't that sound ironic at this point -it really isn't).
Anyway,
ta for now
b
posted by bangskij at 23:49
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