What next, microchips implanted in the skin for "safety"?

[rageofangels]

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/04/17/nypd_installing_lots.html

Half-Life 2 almost becomes a reality....




Monday, April 17, 2006
NYPD installing lots of surveillance cams -- but don't snap back.
New York City's police department is placing 500 surveillance cameras throughout the city, at a cost of $9 million, in an effort to prevent crime and terrorism. Hundreds more cams will follow if $81.5 million in requested federal grants comes through. The additional funds would be used to build a surveillance "ring of steel" designed after a similar system in London's financial district. And we all know how perfectly London's surveillance cam system has protected that city.

Link to AP item by Tom Hays, which includes the predictable line, "Police officials insist that law-abiding New Yorkers have nothing to fear because the cameras will be restricted to public areas." (Thanks, A.V.)

In related news, the NYPD may be snapping images of you, but don't try to snap back. From the Village Voice:

[P]olice evidently aren't so keen on surveillance when the cameras are turned on them?particularly when those cameras show them abusing free-street-parking privileges. On March 27, two volunteers from the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives were detained for taking pictures of police officers' private cars, which were parked on the sidewalk outside the Fifth Precinct in Chinatown. The volunteers say they were held and questioned at the precinct for about 20 minutes and instructed to erase the pictures.

"It was intimidating. I was afraid they were going to arrest me," says Brian Hoberman, 37, who works as a researcher for the city's Rent Guidelines Board.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Sadly, I have already heard "sane" people actually talk about "chipping" their kids!

I don't know when people become such sheeple. I know the word is used often, but it seems to be more true every day.

 

[Maxwell]

 

[real_name]

Just google the words "Applied Digital Solutions implant".

Or click HERE.

We're already there, they are just trying to find the right excuse to tag us.

 

[Grey54956]

"Ring of Steel"...?

Ummm... did London's "ring of steel" protect anybody whatsoever from terrorist attack? How is New York's "ring of steel" going to do so? Does it also include mind-reading killer robots to detect potential terrorist attacks and destroy the attackers or at least shield potential victims?

I am confused.

 

[tellner]

It's just another tool for law enforcement.
Is your "privacy" worth another 9-11?
The innocent have nothing to fear.
If it saves just one life.

 

[lamazza]

On a similar note I would like THR member input...
In a recent conversation with a lefty friend of mine the subject of 'patriot act'
came up. I asked him what he thought of this survielance..his reply was the typical-aren't you willing to give up some rights for safety. I, of course, said not a single one, how about you. He said that he has no problem with the gov't listening to his phone conversations, watching him surf the internet or filming him on the streets, no problem at all he has nothing to hide..
I was dumbfounded and speechless. How do you reply to this?

 

[Erebus]

Ask him if he would agree to have a camera in every room in his house that are monitored by the police. After all it will make you safer cause if someone tries to invade your home the police will get there to clean up your body a minute earlier without you even calling 911.

Better start thinking about if you want your "mark of the beast" on your hand or forehead. After all it will be very unpatriotic if you don't get chipped.

 

[AndyC]

I have nothing to hide but I still lick & seal the envelopes I post.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Hundreds more cams will follow if $81.5 million in requested federal grants comes through.

That's somebody's idea of fair: the tax payers in Iowa get to pick up the tab for invasive cameras in New York.

 

[rock jock]

I actually am in favor of cameras at traffic intersections since they serve a useful and necessary purpose. But cameras for the general public, just to observe the general goings-on of everyday folks? Not a chance.

 

[redbearde]

lamazza, he's not just giving up his right to privacy, he's offering up yours when he has no problem with public cameras, and your privacy isn't his to offer.

rock jock, traffic intersection cameras serve only to make jurisdictions money. As soon as lights stop being run so often, the yellow light times are decreased so as to run the revenue back up. Once you receive a ticket for your buddy or wife running a red light in the car registered to you, then perhaps you'll not think they're quite so delightful. It's like throwing the registered owner of a gun in jail based solely on the bullet used in the murder being confirmed to come from that weapon. ...even though it was the registered owner's wife or neighbor who fired it.

that's bad mojo.

 

[Derek Zeanah]

I actually am in favor of cameras at traffic intersections since they serve a useful and necessary purpose.

The statistics I've seen show that red light cameras increase the numbers of accidents and make intersections more dangerous.

It goes like this:

• Camera installed at dangerous intersection.
• People at that intersection stop running reds.
• Company that installed the camera and splits proceeds with city notices this, talks to city, and reduces yellow light timing to try and bring the income back up.
• Now people at the intersection slam on their brakes as soon as it hits yellow as they will be fined if they safely go through the intersection.
• Accident numbers pile back up.

That system is broken, too.

 

[Pilgrim]

He said that he has no problem with the gov't listening to his phone conversations, watching him surf the internet or filming him on the streets, no problem at all he has nothing to hide..
I was dumbfounded and speechless. How do you reply to this?

Baaaaa-baaaaaa, nice sheep!

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

The Federal Government is dumping absurdly huge amounts of funding into police departments at every level in order to convert our nation into an Orwellian nightmare. Even very small towns are getting huge sums in funding for their police, so long as they agree to use the money for citizen servalance cameras so they can monitor their citizens 24/7 and develope a fully militarized police force.

 

[nonquixote]

I'm not in favor of this stuff, but I'm not overly distraught by it either. In my estimation none of us can expect any real privacy anymore; if someone wants to surveil you bad enough they will. I think it's naive to think otherwise. I believe the closest we can now come to privacy is to live under government's radar where the majority of our anonymous fellow citizens are, but just by being gun afficianados we may have blown our chance. I might not like this, but it's the way the world tilts and we can't put the genie back in the bottle.

 

[Ira Aten]

The manner in which Government pulls this type of Fourth Amendment violation, is for people to take the viewpoint that "I don't like this, but it is inevitable", and forget the meaning of our system of Government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" established by our Founding Fathers.

We in Texas are fighting the HB 1361, (requires microchips in all livestock) and have managed through petition, to influence the State Animal Health Commission to halt their plan to set a date wherein all livestock (even one goat or chicken) must be microchipped, in order to meet the Federal Government's request that our state enable the NAIS (National Animal Identification System) by passing that Unconstitutional legislation.

We are demanding the repeal of HB 1361, because it is unnecessary, stupid, and approximately 95 % of all Texans are against it. And we fear, the next "supposedly logical" step is placing microchips in humans for our "safety".

It is amazing that people worry about cell phones causing tumors, but will actually agree to put a micro-chip, into their own children, with no studies whatsoever as to how they will affect their health.

The elected officials in our "Representative Republic" seem to have decided the word "public" in "Republic" does not count any longer, as it did when our country was founded.

The way they determined that because some people to take the attitude, that "it is inevitable" on such issues. And if we do continue that attitude, we will become a Government of the Government, by the Government, and for the Government.

So since we have the right to peacefully assemble, and petition the government for redress, it is far, far better to utilize that right, than to give up any and all of them.

 

[Justin]

He said that he has no problem with the gov't listening to his phone conversations, watching him surf the internet or filming him on the streets, no problem at all he has nothing to hide..
I was dumbfounded and speechless. How do you reply to this?

You take him up on the offer by following him around, photographing everything he does, and any time he does anything the least bit illegal or unethical, you smear it all over the internet.

 

[Henry Bowman]

<Comment removed by Art due to earlier editing.>

Wonder how far away I can ding it?

Or just wear a mask whenever I go outside

They'll just pass another law.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

<Bad idea removed by Art>

 

[DRZinn]

In my estimation none of us can expect any real privacy anymore; if someone wants to surveil you bad enough they will.

But if they want to surveil me they likely have some reason, and at that must get a warrant for some activities. The problem is wanting to surveil everyone. It's a presumption of guilt.

Considering that most of us are criminals one way or another, it's a logical presumption....

 

[madmike]

Shameless plug: In my Freehold books, a future Earth DOES chip everyone and use cameras and recognition software.

As a result, all minor crimes have to be ignored to avoid swamping the police.

You know. Robbery. Rape. Assault. Got to concentrate on important crimes like terorrism and rebellion.

I wish I could say it was strictly SF and I don't expect it to happen.

 

[Ivy Mike]

http://www.notbored.org/the-scp.html
This group puts on a show for the cameras in NYC. They've performed adaptations of Orwell's 1984 (you had to see that one coming) in protest of these cameras as well as other stuff.

I like these guys.

 

[madmike]

I remember when NYC started 866-GUN-STOP to "report people with guns."

Bunch of us started getting addresses of group leaders, local pols and other Notable Persons. We figured swamping them would have an effect, and if they ticked off enough people, they'd be stopped.

Anyone know if that line is still in operation?

 

[Zero_DgZ]

<Art removed references above. Comment now superfluous.>

I would joyfully take the opportunity to wear some sort of incredibly silly disguise at all times - Like my full face rubber Beavis mask, or a Geroge Bush mask or something.

Better still would be if we could get a whole bunch of people to do it and start a movement. Like a 24/7 masked ball.

My guess is they'll just make wearing a disguise in public a crime, though. It'll be fun while it lasts.