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Remember that scene in MINORITY REPORT,
where Tom Cruise is on the run from the law,
but is unable to avoid
detection because everywhere he goes
there are constant retina scans
feeding his location back to a central database?
That’s Tomorrow.
Today,
Google is tracking wherever your smartphone goes, and putting an ominous Red dot on a map to mark the occasion.
All you need to do is log in with the same account you use on your
phone,
and the record of everywhere you’ve been for the last day to
month will erupt across your screen like measles.
We deny the cyber intrusion into our lives.
We watch the latest on the Kardashians or Miley or Taylor, pop a diet soda,
and force the murmur of Big Brother into the back of our minds.
But just one look at a map of your movements for the past few days in Red, pimp-slaps some reality back into you.
Yet, we can trust the government, right? Until you look towards Ferguson.
My dots would just go back and forth between work and home...Still it is unsettling how our every movement can be watched.
ReplyDeleteDavid:
ReplyDeleteI do not wander strange or bad places either, but I like my privacy. Uncle Sam becoming a Peeping Tom is unsettling like you said!
We've traded our privacy for our security.
ReplyDeleteAnd people wonder why I bucked having a cell phone for so lont...
Sigh.
ReplyDeleteMy phone spends most of its time turned off. And may or may not travel with me. Another reason to be grateful for being a slow learner.
Alex:
ReplyDeleteIt is like Dr. Zola told Steve Rogers in THE WINTER SOLDIER, isn't it?
I still buck having a cell phone. I do not carry it unless I am working. Of course, it seems I am always working! :-)
Elephant's Child:
My phone stays at the apartment when I am off ... which isn't very often. But the government is tracking our computer visits, too. It is a strange world, isn't it?
I don't use an iphone, but not sure if they track Blackberry the same way. I try to block it showing my location. I don't like the privacy intrusion. I know what Big Brother is capable of, and they should never be underestimated.
ReplyDeleteHi Roland - I have mostly kept my phone off or leave it at home - but I have seen this ... and then they'll flash ads at those that have phones with them ... and collect the stats -
ReplyDeleteI definitely like my privacy .. thanks for highlighting this for us .. cheers Hilary
Wow, that is terrifying. Not sure I've ever thought about what my constant connection to my kids would mean.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is getting a little tooooo scary for my liking.
ReplyDeleteMuch food for thought, Roland. I shall now go and turn my phone off!
D.G.:
ReplyDeleteTurning your phone off will not help as the software inside your phone pinpoints you whether it is on or not.
How?
Something in your phone known as an accelerometer.
It's a tiny chip inside your phone that measures whether you're holding your phone horizontally or vertically, so the phone can alter its screen accordingly.
But in the same way your fingerprints are yours alone, so is your phone's signal.
Those imperfections mean your phone's unique signal can make your habits easy to track whenever your phone is in use.
Your phone's camera, gyroscope and microphones, among other parts, make you vulnerable as well.
That's any cell phone, too. Sigh.
Hilary:
Yes, it is a strange new ... SCARY world!
Raquel:
Each plus in life comes with it consequences I guess.
Wendy:
The NSA or the FBI can set up their own miniature cell network tower.
Your phone automatically connects to it. Now, that tower's radio waves send a command to your phone's antennae: the baseband chip.
That tells your phone to fake any shutdown and stay on.
A smart hack won't keep your phone running at 100%, though.
Spies could keep your phone on standby and just use the microphone -- or send pings announcing your location.
The only way you can tell is if your phone feels warm when it's turned off.
That means the baseband processor is still running.
Scary, right?
There literally no place to hide. Murderers can remain at large for years, but let you get on the wrong side of the Intelligence Agencies -- BAM!