Thursday, June 16, 2011

Killer App

I wonder when some subversive political nitwit is going to introduce a bill demanding we do this with--what would we call them, iGuns? [Read]
Posted by David Codrea at 6/16/2011 01:44:00 PM

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Note that if the event whacker app works as intended, portable or vehicle mount disablers will roll on every cop car in the country. Simple enough to integrate with the auto license tag scanners, eh?

6/17/2011 10:56 AM
Kevin Wilmeth said...

It may be a sign of our times that comments like Anon's (10:56), above, are becoming more and more common. Yeah, I'd bet body parts (hell, I probably am, given the current state of the police state) that what Anon describes above is just exactly the sort of thing that will happen.

It's not hard to visualize, once you've started.

First, they'll get within range. Then cut your engine (which dutifully obeys per the new "black-box" requirement, right?). Possibly--since so much is computerized now--they'll also lock up your brakes without warning, ensuring "officer safety" by knocking you out against your steering wheel or airbag (it's not like they'll have to pay to reset it, after all). And hey, why not disable the seatbelt release and door locks, while at it? In the couple of seconds it has taken for all this to happen, your camera and network has become unavailable and your gizmo has activated an app you didn't even know was there, exclusively locking the audio input, recording your voice and transmitting it (securely) to a recording app in the cop car, which records your voice, but not the officer's, which has been voice-profiled and is recognizable by the system. Anything you say that is incriminating is recorded, and the more you say, the more accurate the voice-signature on the receiving end can become, if it becomes necessary to later add a little foul language or "legally actionable keywords" to ensure a conviction or justify a magazine-full of "oopsie".

To paraphrase Bradbury: remember when firemen used to put out fires? Yeah, me too, but it's getting harder every day to remember it.

It still seems that we're in a scary minority, but more and more people are starting to see things for what they are, and not just what they're told. They're connecting the dots. Thinking ahead. Maintaining Condition Yellow.

And not making exceptions just because someone has the "right" uniform (gang colors) on.

Thank you, Anon. We live in some pretty tiresome and depressing times, but the seeds of the thugs' undoing really are everywhere, and just like in a Greek tragedy, the more they press their hubris, the more those seeds spread and open up.

Sometimes I need a reminder of this.

Thanks.

6/17/2011 3:28 PM
Anonymous said...

Came across this statement over at Eric Raymond's blog in a discussion about the Apple patent - can this be true?

“# Jeff Read Says:
June 16th, 2011 at 8:33 pm

Feh. This is nothing. Ever since the dumbphone days law enforcement has been able to switch on your cellphone’s mic and use it to spy on you without your permission or interaction, even when the cellphone is nominally turned “off”. This is a real thing; arrests and convictions have been obtained by this method. And yes, it is admissible in court.”

Seriously? This is for real? Talk about a reason for paranoia!

6/19/2011 9:12 PM
David Codrea said...

I've read that and also that if you want to defeat that you need to take out the battery.

6/19/2011 10:03 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)