On Tue, Dec 02, 2008 at 11:18:58PM +0000, Gil Hamilton wrote:
I'm not sure what you find so disturbing about this. Sure, they're trying to detect thoughtcrime but they're not going to send you off to a gulag as a
What is the impact on behaviour of people when they know they're under constant scrutiny? Why, if they're treated like criminals and terrorists they will fullfill that expectation. What's going to happen next, after this particular cargo cult is introduced? Why, if you ask suspicious you'll be whisked away for questioning, including fMRI truth machines. What kind of questions can you eventually expect? Why, anything for whether you cheated on your tax return, take drugs, are a homosexual or a pinko cypherpunk.
result of this alone (well, at least not in the more enlightened countries); they will simply "select" you for further screening. Anything that has the potential of someday reducing the oppressiveness of the current security clusterfuck is a plus in my book.
I don't see how this is going to make things better. I can see how this is going to make things a whole lot worse.
Let them watch and listen all they want. If we weren't all being stripped and orifice-searched like felons, we'd have a lot less to be "stressed" about in
See, this is why I don't fly.
the first place.
In the long run, of course, this system too can be defeated. I'm sure it
The system is a complete cargo cult bullshit. It doesn't work.
works fine to detect a spur-of-the-moment suicide bomber (assuming there is such a thing) -- or a scared-shitless first-time drug mule -- but a dedicated-enough terrorist will make enough dry runs and view enough simulations of likely subliminal pictures that he will not be overly nervous when the big day arrives.
I'm also very skeptical that the technologies work as well in the field as their corporate cheerleaders would like you to believe. Wonder how many actual terrorists they've tested the system on? Do you suppose it works as well as the polygraph? The same sorts of claims were made when that was introduced.
Now you're starting asking questions. Still find nothing disturbing about supporting security theater pork-barrel, and complete the transition of free individuals into cowering serfs? Not to channel Tim May, but people behind this need killing. Badly.