Bill Stewart wrote:
SF Bay Area Cypherpunks August 2001 Physical Meeting Announcement PLACE: Tressider Student Union Courtyard, Stanford University Campus Palo Alto, California, USA
We should go take a look at the famous Stanford spy camera on the roof of Barnes. Barnes is a relatively tall building in Escondido Village on the south side of the campus. The camera can be clearly seen from the ground. The camera was installed for the World Cup a few years back. It is remotely controlled and is used to zoom in on faces at great distances. During the World Cup, the faces of fans were fed to a bullpen of representatives of "anti-terrorism" organizations from around the world. So far as I know, no computer recognition was used, but the effect is the same. Given that the U.S. has often been a haven for dissidents, and that universities in particular are advertised as havens for those with unpopular ideas, it would be interesting to know which precautions, if any, Stanford took to ensure the safety of those attending the Cup. "Anti-terrorist" organizations are often no more than secret police departments whose primary mission is repressing the political views of their citizens. Were the participating agents allowed to take pictures home? Were the images saved for later analysis, for instance by computer? Which nations participated and could any of them be said to have repressive governments? Some damage is unavoidable as even the knowledge of the presence of a dissident in the Bay Area could create problems. (Secret police are not confined to their countries of origin and often receive the cooperation of the U.S. Federal Government.) Likewise, simply associating with a known dissident could create difficulties for those returning to their native countries, or even for U.S. citizens visiting those countries. Given the international presence, the Federal government was clearly involved. Which organizations were involved? Has Rep. Dick Armey been informed of this involvement? What does Stanford use the camera for now?