Letter from the CEO
Über Communications
and Privacy
by Robert L Pritchett
Über, or best of the
best, is what "we" are striving for, but
can we get there with technology without sacrificing our liberty and freedoms?
As we noted in the article on "Systematic Site Shutdowns" in March under the "All-Seeing Eye", we see
the "Internet of Things", "Ubiquitous Computing" and Web
3.0, where everything works in harmony and full interoperability and world
peace. Don't you feel empowered?
We are rapidly
rushing towards an electronic world of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), Electronic Product Code Information Services
(EPCIS) and Auto-IDs.
We see this also in
Global Positioning Systems, where "we" can identify our location
anywhere on the surface of the planet within 10 meters (in reality, down to 1
mm, see "Further Investigation") – and so can anybody else.
Even Apple made this easy with the iPhone 3G GPS.
A Court ruling
already has established that law enforcement can tag your vehicle, on your
private property, with a GPS tracker, without due process.
You can even track
your Mac via the built-in iSight camera, in case the portable gets pilfered.
But if
you can take pictures remotely, so can others without your knowledge.
Adeona was such a program that has been temporarily
disabled at the server level.
I found it a bit disconcerting that Adeona would
activate my iSight and keep me under constant surveillance at all times, day
and night by randomly turning on the camera and taking my picture, send it to
the server at Planet-Lab > Measurement Lab > Google. Google already monitors every
move you make online.
I finally remembered I had this Adeona app in action and
removed it last month (anyway, I think it is removed), as we were discussing
security on the Mac. That doesn’t keep Google from keeping tabs on me. It does
keep them from taking snapshots remotely of me however, without my express
permission.
And that's the point.
In a world where law-breaking ACORN is going around and GPS-painting everyone's
front door in the USSA, I think we need to be a little more
concerned about Über Communications and making ourselves just a little less available at all hours of the day and night.
I guess they want more precision than can be obtained by extended Zip Code
configurations (these can be used by military systems for missile drops
already).
The GPS systems that
will be installed in all vehicles will be used to not only track our location,
but also will be used to bill us per mile for taxes above and beyond what we
pay at the pump.
We are on the brink
of not being able to even get away from electronics in our lives with such
technologies as Smart Dust, where devices can communicate at the
micrometer level wirelessly.
We will be given
universal IDs, so we can be tracked via our username and password anywhere with
the advent of "semantic" Web 3.0 services.
Kevin Kelly discussed
the advent of Über Information over a year ago.
You may find this
interesting as well; The USSA ranks 6th out of 52 nations for most
aggressive electronic surveillance of its citizens, preceded only by China,
North Korea, Belarus, Russia and the UK > (The Electronic Police State). Do you care? I do!
I can assume you are
familiar with RFID. If not, go here - Spychips. We discussed this in our review of the book,
"The Shell Game" a year ago.
Welcome to the
Matrix. There is always a dark side to technology. Do we really want to be a
part of it? Will we be able to even exist without it?
When is too much
information about us posted online? Should our day-to-day activities be
chronicled online instead of in a locked private paper-based diary?
We've been warned
about the dangers of putting too much information on Facebook and MySpace and
other social networking sites. Perhaps we should take those warning
seriously.
With Über Communications, we can either have the best of the best or
it can be turned into the worst of the worst. How will you use it?
Think about it and
react accordingly.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Pritchett
Further
Investigation
Here is a GPS
provider from China - Cybergraphy.
Current GPS systems
are accurate down to 1 mm – but your access to the system is being
"dumbed down".
Surveying with 1mm Precision Since 1999 - We have demonstrated GPS surveying on a 43 km base-line with one mm precision using low multipath antennas and pointed radiometer slant delay corrections. The measured slant delay corrections improved vertical precision by a factor of five compared to estimated zenith delay corrections and horizontal precision to sub-mm.
US Census Bureau and GPS Targeting JANE LESKO reports on the US Census Bureau going door-to-door, nationwide, to place YOUR front door "coordinates" into a Global Positioning System (GPS) for marking/mapping purposes; without your consent - and if you are not home - without your knowledge.
Brigadoon Software - "MacPhoneHome" -
computer tracking and recovery software - (One time charge of $30 for license)
Arten Science –
"MonitorMyMac" takes timed snapshots of your computer screen(s)
and/or takes snapshots from your connected Webcam. These images are stored
locally (or remotely) and are also optionally uploaded to your FTP server,
meaning they can then be accessed from anywhere with Internet Access. (25
GBP)
Koingo Software - "Digital Sentry" - Watch for such system events as waking from sleep, program launches, closes, or switches, file modifications, incorrect password attempts, mouse and keyboard input, and many more. Then, perform any number of tasks like sending an e-mail, shutting down the computer, starting a simulated self-destruct, pinging a web URL, taking a web cam shot, taking a screenshot, playing a multimedia file, speaking some text, executing a shell script...($20 USD)
CVZ Productions - "Daily Tracker for the iPhone" - Keep track of the things you care about and is available in 7 languages. It is a personal organizer that offers one place to gather and track notes and activities of your choice. ($2.99 USD)
Keeping Track of Yourself on the Internet - Knowing who you appear to be when people look for you on the web can be revealing. Not knowing when inaccurate information about you shows up on the web where anyone (including employers, prospective employers, prospective mates, …) can be a disaster in the making.
eKit - "Travel Journal" - Provides a suite of travel communication services including mobile phones, SIM cards, global calling cards, Internet calling, voicemail, text messaging and email solutions. These services are accessible worldwide from more than 152 countries. "Travel Journal" is a free service. Why?
Retina-X Studios - "iPhone Mobile-Spy" - You will SILENTLY learn the truth about calls, text messages and GPS locations by logging into your Mobile Spy account from any web browser for any smartphone system (not just iPhones). ($100 USD)
CyberSecurity Chief - The new cybersecurity coordinator would report to both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.
CyberSecurity Act of 2009 Government control of content and the omniscient power to "switch off" the Internet.
Cybersecurity Is Framework For Total Government Regulation & Control Of Our Lives The new Cybersecurity system will only make the Internet more vulnerable to attack, while creating the framework for a massively upgraded government surveillance grid that will control and regulate every aspect of our daily lives through the implementation of “smart” technology.
National Geospacial-Intelligence Agency An agency of the United States Government with the primary mission of collection, analysis, and distribution of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in support of national security.
Police State Planning There will be more "events".
Google Latitude See your friends' locations and status messages on a full screen even without a compatible phone or data plan.
Smart Grid A modernized electricity network is being promoted by many governments as a way of addressing energy independence or global warming(tm) issues and control your access to electrical power.
