[extropy-chat] The end of crime as we used to know it?

[Erik Starck]

Eugen Leitl wrote:

>On Fri, Mar 19, 2004 at 10:25:37PM +0100, Erik Starck wrote:
>
>> think you're being a bit too pessimistic. One person with a camera 
>>    
>>
>
>I sure hope so. Given just today's headlines, we've been progressing down the
>slippery slope towards a control and surveillance society, with nary a sqawk
>but a few digerating fuming and sputtering.
>  
>

Europe hasn't seen quite the same development, but maybe the Madrid 
bombings changes that. Let's hope not.

>The general public doesn't know, and doesn't care. In fact, it has been
>silently accepting some pretty outrageous things. Things people used to riot in
>the streets for.
>
>Nowadays, people don't riot even if their portemonnaie's being bled. Now this
>makes me genuinely worried.
>  
>

Hmm. Tell me about it. Sweden, where I live, has the highest tax level 
in the world, and people still seem to accept even higher taxes.

>>phone doesn't make a revolution, but add the smart mobs of Rheingold, 
>>    
>>
>
>Smart mobs are just a lark. Highly unpolitical, but for protester tourism
>(against globalization, etc.).
>  
>

They got Howard Dean a place in the race for the White House.

Some would even call the Al Qaeda a smart mob, and they are quite 
possibly one of the most powerful political organisations in the world 
at the moment.

>>mobile blogging tools soon to hit the market big time 
>>    
>>
>
>I repeat, how can you blog if your channel is jammed? How can you blog if
>your cellphone has been confiscated? How can you blog if you're ordered to
>put it down, and your ISP will cut you off, in compliance with law XY.Z?
>Your connection logs are essentially eternal, and subpoenable. Your premises
>can be searched just because somebody claims you're a pirate (complete with
>cutlass and eyepatch, ARRRRRR matey!). Your financial transactions and RFID
>movement profile gets collected. Your cellphone location profile gets
>tracked. All your voice is tappable, and tapped. Your car's license plate and
>toll collect RFID are being scanned everywhere, and ditto your face on a
>dozen cams on your way from home to work. All of this will be actively data
>warehoused, and crosscorrelated.
>  
>

The same goes for your boss, your political leaders and Bill Gates. The 
higher you climb, the more people are watching you, the more vulnerable 
you get.

>How many of normal people know how much of it is already law, where, about to
>become law, and what is on the drawing boards still?
>  
>

The less they know now, the angrier they will get when they find out.

>>(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3497596.stm) and mobile video on 
>>the way and you've got something that very well may put a lethal crack 
>>in some of the current power structures. The shopowner and the 
>>    
>>
>
>How so? Voting is your only option, and if there's just 3 candidates none of
>which is representing your views, and you're not demonstrating, how does your
>blogging matter?
>  
>

Wrong. Voting is not your only option. If you don't like the country: 
leave. I sure plan to, someday.

Blogging matters because every minute someone spends reading a blog in 
stead of watching the favorite tool of the governments of the 20th 
century: television, is a minute that broadens their perspective and 
spreads new memes.

It is my belief that the life of the national state is closely connected 
to the life of the television channels broadcasted within the same 
geographical borders. McLuhan would probably agree with me on that one. 
It is television that the foundation of a modern country stands on. Again:

"The only sectors seeing general audience growth today are online, ethnic and alternative media."

Television is dying: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/01/14/geek.study.reut/index.html

This is good news for me and bad news for my government as well as established media. 


>>politician can't put the guards on every customer or voter they've got.
>>    
>>
>
>You cannot vote candidates *away*. You can only vote for, or abstain voting
>for those candidates which are present. The political process resulting in
>selection of said is a travesty in most parts of the world, US included.
>  
>

On that I agree.

>>Of course, at this stage they respond with force as they feel 
>>threatened. The watchmen aren't used to being watched. But something is 
>>    
>>
>
>What is the response to that response? The street is ducking, and covering. 
>  
>

I'm not so sure about that. And we haven't seen the start of this yet. 
Camera phones are still quite cumbersome to use, and picture quality is 
laughable. I want a recording device connected to my eye. A searchable 
lifelogger, constantly remembering everything I do and see, including 
police violence and crooked politicians. If I'm the only one who has 
one, they can make me blind, but if 90% of the population has one (90% 
of swedes have a mobile phone), that's another story.

>>happening. Something big.
>>
>>Also see:
>>
>>http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/narrative_overview_eight.asp?media=1
>>"The only sectors seeing general audience growth today are online, ethnic 
>>and alternative media."
>>    
>>
>
>Online people never riot. They're too busily cocooning while blogging their
>rage away for that.
>  
>

Riots. That's so... 1900. Isn't it? What do you expect? Torches and 
stones? Tar and feathers? This is not a war (if you want to call it 
that) on the streets, it is a war for information and attention. Eyeballs.

>>and
>>"In many parts of the news media, we are increasingly getting the raw 
>>elements of news as the end product."
>>    
>>
>
>No doubt. What is the general public doing with those raw bits, though?
>  
>

Recording them and posting it to the nearest web site.


--
Erik S.