The Searchable Life 413
oni writes "Here's a story on wired about a Pentagon project called LifeLog. It seeks to record every bit of information that can be had, index it by name, or SSN, or even location, and make the database searchable. Furthermore, '[LifeLog adds] physical information (like how we feel) and media data (like what we read) to this transactional data.'" If you think you can build such a system, apply for a grant. There's also a current AP story about Total Information Awareness.
Time for guilting. (Score:4, Insightful)
We need a viable platform for getting in contact with the people that work on this swill at a personal level and ask them the important questions. While it may be easy to work on such a project away from everyone, when presented with the dangers and evils on a personal level most people act very differently. Everyone has to work, many people have famlies to feed, but still deep inside most people will no do something incredibly stupid or evil when given the choice... and that applies to work such as this.
I'm sure someone will say that you can always find someone to work on something no matter how wrong it may be and while that is certainly true, projects such as these are doomed to fail if they can only get subpar workers to create them.
Congress may make laws and the courts might validate them to a certain extent, but final validation lies in what we are willing to tolerate. We are in control.
They're at it again! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why is it (Score:2, Insightful)
Checks and balances is the key.
The very same thing could of been said about the internet.
Re:Time for guilting. (Score:2, Insightful)
Smart people also build self-delusions like "Well, if not me, somebody else would do that." or "There are still folks who do worse things." or "Feeding my family is moral, therefore what I do is OK".
Need I say that I wish I were wrong?
Re:Time for guilting. (Score:2, Insightful)
or pehaps you have no concept of balance, and can not see in grays.
Some guy named Winston... (Score:1, Insightful)
jmr
Re:Why is it (Score:5, Insightful)
I have my privacy to "hide". Reveal every detail of your life if you choose - but respect my freedom to do otherwise. The U.S. is a free country, right?
Or did the terrorists win?
A Perfect Start to the Perfect Dictatorship (Score:3, Insightful)
new? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why is it (Score:4, Insightful)
We don't anywhere near perfect (to quote one of those stupid car commercials), so just because you have nothing to hide, it does not mean that you cannot be exploited. Sure, the chances are slim, but there is that chance. And, if something has any chance to happen, it will happen eventually.
Now, I am not saying this is or isn't evil... I am just saying that claiming that the reason people are against somethning is because they have something to hide really isn't a very solid arguement.
-John
There are no words speakable (Score:5, Insightful)
They make SATAN look like Mr. Rogers.
I hope that someone puts not only a stop to this now, but puts an end to this reign of digital terror.
This can not be allowed to continue.
George Orwell was pretty much right, but he underestimated the depths that this would sink to.
I am currently researching the state of affairs in other countries because I just can not live in a country where you are a piece of meat.
You are born to be a good little consumer. You may not question the party line. You slave away to generate revenue for the state so that the state can grow more powerful. ALL of your income goes towards purchasing disposable crap and taxes.
You are not allowed to own anything that will last long enough to pass on to your kids. And when you die, the state takes most of your income in inheritence taxes.
Can you say "coppertop" ????
completely ridiculous (Score:4, Insightful)
It also could allow the military to develop more efficient computerized training systems, she said: Computers could remember how each student learns and interacts with the training system, then tailor the lessons accordingly.
Fine. So limit its scope to include only those enlisted in the military. I see no reason whatsoever for anyone at all, much less the Pentagon, to have a record of everything I've ever bought or everyone I've ever emailed or called on a phone.
Maybe it's just me... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Why is it (Score:3, Insightful)
"Total Information Awareness" or the anacronym "TIA" is coincidentally or purposefully the Spanish word for aunt. "Tia" looks more like a meddling spinster aunt with nothing better to do than peruse our collective sock drawers.
This is another way the American people have been victimized by 9-11. It gives an opportunity for the people who would like to strip us of our individual freedoms a stronger foothold using our own FEAR as the briquets.
This evil proposal will make U.S. citizens lives no longer private. Further, has anyone thought about how much "feeding" this informational behemoth will cost our already burdened people?
Everything you do. Everything you feel. (Score:5, Insightful)
Intelligence analysis (the military sort) is based on getting all sorts of data down to the pictures in a wallet and making connections.
What they are doing here is automating the process and feeding it all the data about everyone. There has been some talk here about the enormous amounts of processing power, the huge databases and whatnot making it impossible. I'm not so confident. The data don't have to all be available at once. Just as long as they can be accessed and processed eventually.
When they are combined and the patterns teased out (which the above-mentioned disciplines already do very well) you can get a pretty accurate picture of the person. And know what sort of things that person likes or dislikes. Whom they are likely to associate with. Political leanings. Mental stability. And so on.
Not only privacy but free will are at risk. The propaganda or the interrogation techniques or so on can be individually and automatically tailored to you personally. In advance. And they will almost certainly work.
You can even tell a lot by lack of data. There will be patterns that people who tend not to show up much in the databases will fall into. What things they are hiding. Transactions that they are trying to hide. Likely associates. With so many data the lack of information is itself information. Sort of like the soldier whose military records consist of a rank, an entrance date, and a discharge date. You KNOW he was doing special operations and was probably on loan to Three Letter Agencies.
What if... (Score:3, Insightful)
Stranger Than (Orwellian) Fiction (Score:2, Insightful)
TIA^3 = (1984)^2
Yes, indeed. The society depicted Orwell's "1984" didn't even go this far. They didn't try to track this much information about people, IIRC. This idea, however, still has a long way to go before it is materialized. And even though DARPA seems to be giving it a push, I don't expect it to take off. Why? Let me explain.
TIA, which apparently keeps track of much less information has come under much criticism from those who are familiar with it. In fact, I understand that they decided to change to the TIA logo because it had an eye on it, implying that Big Brother was watching. People will become aware of this and not allow LifeLog to do the Orwellian things that TIA is supposed to do. It may not have many applications beyond military training systems (which was suggested in the article.) And TIA, and its petabytes of information on U.S. citizens it's supposed to store, was barred against use against U.S. citizens in February. Still, we need to watch for whatever Orwellian ideas gain popularity with those in power.
Re:1984 (Score:2, Insightful)
It's here already, just not where you think it is.
Re:Why is it (Score:5, Insightful)
Checks and balances is the key.
I'm not American, but I believe this mantra means that at long as there's adequate supervision, extra government powers aren't so bad, right?
Supervision, "checks and balances" means that you, or your representatives should be able to say when a government organization is trying to grab powers that it doesn't need to do its job, that are totally gratuitious - and also possibly open to abuse.
Well, this is the fucking Pentagon (your department of war on other countries) that wants to have a complete database of every tiny little thing about American citizens. Which is so totally unrelated to their job, and so open to abuse, that it's precisely those checks and balances that should stop this, if they are still effective, right?
Re:Why is it (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why is it (Score:1, Insightful)
This is WAY to scary for me.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure it will be private. (Score:5, Insightful)
I can hear the speeches now, "If the government is aware of a risk in a potential employee, perhaps one that could present a dangerous situation to the other workers in the company, how can we not allow employers to ensure the safety of their employees by conducting a background test?"
Next thing you know, everyone gets an email telling them about the new condition in their work contract, and your boss is asking you into his office wondering why you recently bought a copy of "Resume Writing for Dummies."
And don't worry kids, it will remain confidental, just like the results of your drug test are confidental today.
I have a better idea (Score:5, Insightful)
Instead of me having to justify my life to the military, let the military justify everything it does to me (and all other US citizens).
Information is power. When the government has all information about its citizens, we have tyranny. When citizens have all information about the government, we have democracy.
What, you say? Then citizens will have access government secrets, and could harm our military defense by handing them over to our enemies. Well, I don't suppose the government (or some government official) would EVER hand over details of our life to people who want to harm us?
or, you might say ordinary citizens just aren't qualified to make decisions about national defense. These matters should be decided in secret, by qualified experts. Well, who has decided the Pentagon is qualified to judge my life? What gives the government the expertise to make decisions based on a database of individual's actions? After all this must be their intents for this information, they wouldn't just hoard it for the sake of having it?
Re:Why is it (Score:4, Insightful)
No, it's not happening here... la la la... (Score:2, Insightful)
OK, I understand it like this: Governments need to know every detail about their populations in order to secure them, to keep them safe. You see an unemployed anarchist buying an explosives manual? Nab him. You see some student dropping out due to failing to pay tuition, starts buying steel pipe? Get him. Some laid-off workers from some failed company (that cheated them from their stocks and savings while cozily parachuting the top brass) start stirring up some messy marches and picketing, start asking some uncomfortable questions? Book'em.
It's easier to get all them than attacking the sources of those problems.
Re:Why is it (Score:3, Insightful)
OK, so reply to this posting with your home address, telephone number (cell included, and work number and extension just for fun), and also include your Date of Birth and Social Security number. Oh, and if you're old enough to have a credit card, we'd like to have those numbers too.
Thanx.
How to influence a Congressman..... (Score:2, Insightful)
ok, if everyone has access (Score:4, Insightful)
- everyone who has data about them in the system also has unrestricted access to the system, and
- all data in the system is available to any user, and
- I can obtain, at will, a list of recent inquiries (and who performed them) about me and my data, and
- there is a working method to get data corrected in a timely manner, or ar least to mark data that is in dispute,
then and only then do I have no problem with this.Re:Why is it (Score:4, Insightful)
And the Supreme Court has said, time and time again, that a right to privacy is inherent to the Constitution, without which other rights couldn't be fully exercised.
I'll take the word of the Supreme Court over yours any day of the week.
Max
More Constitutional Rights Please! (Score:2, Insightful)
If the government wants information on me I want the file of personal details for everyone with access to my information. Shouldn't the caretaker of a system like that be subject to atleast as much scrutiny as the average American who is the target of this system?
Lastly why the hell would this be a military project? I thought that domestic surveillance was the FBI's thing. Isn't it the CIA for foreign and FBI for domestic? Oh yea.... this kind of thing would break a million laws in the US that the FBI has to follow... better make it pentagon where there is no accountability.
If this passes the NRA nuts that pushed hard for 2nd amendment rights are going to be the folk heros of the future. Calling all patriots, the tree of liberty may need some feeding.
Re:Why is it (Score:2, Insightful)
"No President since Nixon has been dumb enough to tape record things in the office"
If the most powerfull person in the US can not keep recordings from biting his rear, what chance do we have?
News Flash (Score:3, Insightful)
Please folks, spare us the histrionics. This stuff is happening because you refuse to do anything real about it. You refuse to go on strike, go to protests, contribute to the EFF or other civil liberties organizations, write letters, vote with your wallets, or even vote. As a wise man once said, "It's put up or shut up time."
The truth is, it's not just soldiers who defend freedom, but each and every one of us every day. If you want to be free, you have to stand up and fight for it.
Re:I have a better idea (Score:3, Insightful)
They want to make us better consumers.
Re:The clue train pulls in! (Score:3, Insightful)
Point 1: Well, duh! How would such a system work without building a dossier on every American? Answer: it wouldn't. If the terrorists were, say, in the US and taking flying lessions then any system that didn't record Americans would be useless.
Point 2: Well, DUUUUH! Of course they would say its not for that because they wouldn't get the funding. The fact that they put it in as a "FAQ" shows that they're worried about it an/or having it thrown at them as an objection.
But lacking proof, you might as well joing the Area 51/cattle mutilation crowd.
Which would put us in the same crowd as the Pentagon officials that said there were WMD in Iraq. After all, Saddam denied it and the Govt. hasn't found any proof so it must be a big conspiracy theory (ignoring the fact that Rumsfeld sold him the weapons, which he doesn't like to talk about anymore).
Does someone help you get dressed or are you typing in the nude?
TWW
Re:Why is it (Score:3, Insightful)
It seems that with today's advances in technology, the only way we can account for the loss of privacy in a Free society is to grant access to projects like this and TIA to everyone.
That's right, everyone. If the government can look at my entire purchase history, I should be able to look at the purchase histories of everyone employed by the government.
The only way all this crap will work acceptably is if I can spy on my government just as effectively as it can spy on me.