Olympics to Have Massive Surveillance Network 441
sharkdba writes "CNN has an article about Olympic digital security. This should be of interest to /. readers since it's a supposedly largest surveillance network ever. Thousands of cameras are combined with software (AI agents?) to look for anomalies. Also words are parsed (scan equivalent to OCR). I understand the idea that if you're in public expect no privacy, but even CNN says: 'Although the state's right to take all necessary measures that it deems necessary is recognized, there is fear that these measures will have a negative impact on basic human rights.'"
Amazing cost (Score:5, Interesting)
How are these Games supposed to make money?
Agreed (Score:4, Interesting)
I was in Boston during the DNC. The security was an absolute joke. Anyone could have gotten on the public transport system or rented a large truck and blown up a low-value (but still prominent) target.
There is really nothing that can be done in a free society. They're gonna' get us.
Too fast (Score:4, Interesting)
Makes you wonder if... (Score:5, Interesting)
Bigger concerns (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Agreed (Score:2, Interesting)
From my greek point of view (Score:5, Interesting)
That extra $1.5bn is going straight to the taxpayers.. I expect that my country will not be able to get over this debt for the next 25 years.
Still, I expect that no foreigner can understand how much to these games mean to us. I am greatly looking forward to them!!!
PS: It also goes without saying that all the greek construction companies will be doomed on the post-olympics era since no major projects are going to take place in the forthcoming years...
defined goal of terrorism? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:"State's right"? (Score:2, Interesting)
It is never enough (Score:4, Interesting)
A balence must be struck. And IMO it should be struck further toward "freedom" than it is being currently.
Some food for thought:
Dorothy Thompson:
"When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered."
John Adams:
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty."
Wendell Phillips:
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
And the ever popular Benjamin Franklin:
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security"
Re:Some observations and questions (Score:3, Interesting)
The issue here is intelligence. In this case, some of the intelligence is gained through surveillance, but it's still intelligence.
>How does a camera have any hope of stopping someone who walks in with a suitcase bomb and a trigger on the handle?
Imagine some questions:
Why is he carrying a suitcase?
Why does he look nervous?
Who is he?
Where is he from?
Who does he hang out with on the weekends?
Why does he want to see the Olympics?
etc.
etc.
etc.
Ideally, your intelligence will be able to answer all of these questions so you know how big of a threat the person is. In reality, you gather as much intelligence as possible to help determine whether or not he/she is enough of a threat to confront the person. If you knew enough background information, you could make this decision with reasonable accuracy (and without infringing on too many innocent people).
>And so they go up to him, and bonus for him, 'cause now he gets to kill some cops, too.
First of all, you try to approach him before he enters. Secondly, the more you know about the person, the more likely you can convince him not to do something he will regret (or in some cases, not to do something that he won't regret). In either case, it increases the chances of being able to save lives.
I don't buy it (Score:1, Interesting)
Security Theatre (Score:5, Interesting)
oops! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Some observations and questions (Score:1, Interesting)
The passener railway line into the Olympics crosses over a major expressway on its way into and out of the Olympics site. All that was required to disrupt the Sydney games was to drive a semitrailer packed with deso and fertiliser under that bridge and set it off. Boom, all spectator access into and out of the Olympics site gone (and a train full of passengers if the timing was right) and publicity galore.
I ran this by a friend after the games. He is quite senior in the Army Reserve (National Guard) and was working on Games security. He confirmed that such a possibility had not been guarded against and basically said 'so what, it was outside our brief to have security there.'
Point is, there is always a way around security, particularly if there doesn't have to be an escape route.
Re:terrorism works (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Some observations and questions (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:A dose of reality (Score:1, Interesting)
I'm a pro-life Catholic, but if I knew someone from my church was planning to blow up a Planned Parenthood I would do everything in my power to stop them. This is not about politics, this is not about religion, this is not about power. This is about the rule of law and the responsibility of every human being to be a contributing member of society at large. That means the dual responsibility of respecting others rights while ensuring that other people stay within their boundaries.
Salt Lake (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Some observations and questions (Score:1, Interesting)
(A terrorist act on NZ's sovereignty, and a terrorist act in whichever country they decide to murder someone -Be it Bolivia, Mexico, or even Canada.)
Re:It is never enough (Score:1, Interesting)
Stupid. And wrong.
2) John Adams - Nice quote. But still wrong. If that should be the only purpose of a government, then you can forget about providing public infrastructures, enriching public lives, providing a community etc. Gee, sucks to live in his world.
3) Wendell Phillips has a good point. No argument there.
4) Ah, good old Benjamin Franklin. Thanks for not forgetting this one. But, in this thing, he was an idiot. An idiot and a politician.
Here's the only counterargument that's needed for Ben's quote:
Who defines "essential"? What's essential for you is not essential for me... and vice versa. It renders the entire quote void of relevance for the real world.
(One more counter-argument for fun though: Lets go reductio ab adsurdum on that quote shall we? I lock my doors and windows at night. They won't prevent someone who really wants to from breaking in - they are therefore "temporary security". I gave up my freedom and liberty to open my windows and doors without taking 5 seconds to unlock them. So I guess you and Ben can get together and come take my doors and windows, hell even the walls. Guess I don't deserve any liberty or security at all huh?)
Wow... Thanks Ben. Rhetoric at its best - helps to rouse the people behind your cause, but at the end of the day, only fools would follow trust the reasoning.