Surprise, YOU Are On NSA Spy Satellite Camera!

If you do not think that having your phone tapped by the NSA without public knowledge was bad enough, then the Bush Administration has just the plan for you. Ya know those cool spy satellites from those CIA movies that can track terrorists with infrared cameras in space? Well, they actually do exist and now they are going to be used (or may already) on ordinary Americans. Just like in Will Smith's Enemy of the State, law enforcement agencies are going to be able to use high power cameras to check on people from the outer edges of the atmosphere. Welcome to the 21st century!

From RawStory:

A plan to dramatically widen US law enforcement agencies' access to data from powerful spy satellites is moving toward implementation, as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff expects to finalize a charter for the program this week, according to a new report.

Chertoff insists the scheme to turn spy satellites -- that were originally designed for foreign surveillance -- on Americans is legal, although a House committee that would approve the program has not been updated on the program for three months.

"We still haven't seen the legal framework we requested or the standard operation procedures on how the NAO will actually be run," House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson tells the Wall Street Journal. Thompson was referring to the National Applications Office -- a new DHS subset that would coordinate access to spy-satellite data for non-military domestic agencies, including law enforcement.

Missing data on the framework? Congress hasn't heard about it yet? Well, they must have misplaced the documents or something, I'm sure the Bush Administration would never, ever, never ever never want to mislead them on how they are spying, or how they want to spy on their citizens.

Right?

E-Z Pass Isn't Just For Tolls, Think Divorce Court

Whenever I drive with friends through E-Z Pass lanes on the toll roads around here, my first thought is how nice it is to not be in the Cash Only line that can take quite a while during rush hour. It never occurred to me that you can catch your cheating spouse. Ah, big brother has its rewards to those who are hurt by their loved ones.

From WCBS-TV:

CBS/AP) TRENTON, N.J. There's some potentially troubling and telling news for all you motorists out there who may be taking the Turnpike for the worst crime in marriage: cheating on your significant other.

E-ZPass and other electronic toll collection systems are emerging as a powerful means of proving infidelity. That's because when your spouse doesn't know where you've been, E-ZPass does.

"E-ZPass is an E-ZPass to go directly to divorce court, because it's an easy way to show you took the off-ramp to adultery," said Jacalyn Barnett, a New York divorce lawyer who has used E-ZPass records a few times.

Is this a violation of privacy or just what happens to cheating spouses when they are lazy/foolish enough to have their barcode scanned in the middle of the night? What they are doing is wrong morally by going behind their partner's back. As a civil libertarian, I think that E-ZPass records should be for deducting money from your account, not to keep track of where you are going. If divorce attorneys can use the information, why can't the government? It is a slippery slope where a seemingly useful tool for revenge can translate into one more piece of our big brother society.

Big Brother Is Watching New York

From and excellent post by the Gothamist:

In the wake of a federal judge criticizing the NYPD's videotaping procedures last week, I-Witness Video looks at what the NYPD actually uses to record public events and calls it "360 degrees of surveillance," best illustrated by what the police used during the 2004 Republican National Convention.

Officers used "lipstick cameras" which are easily concealed, as well as helicopters with "military-style infrared imaging." And Fuji lent the NYPD its BlimpCam, and I-Witness Video describes the blimpcam footage from August 27, 2004:

The first scene on the clip shows people from the antiwar group Not in Our Name lying on the grass in Central Park, spelling out a giant "NO" with their bodies. Every so often the camera operator focuses on some young women lounging nearby who do not seem to be part of the antiwar event. The hovering blimp cam seems almost to float above this tranquil scene. It might even be a pretty picture if it were not for the fact that we are viewing this all through what appears to be a military targeting scope superimposed on the frame...

When the camera zooms out, what seems like half of the island of Manhattan comes quickly into focus. The blimp cam has a truly awesome depth of field and range...

The NYPD Fuji blimp continues downtown to Union Square Park where it floats above the assemblage of parkgoers and bicyclists gathering for the Critical Mass ride... A man stares directly up at the blimp, giving rise to the insight that staring directly at an aerial observation platform allows a perfect view of your face.

There are videos of each kind of surveillance, which we recommend you to check out - all the footage converges on the Critical Mass ride that resulted in hundreds of arrests. Photoblogger Mike Epstein from Satan's Laundromat was arrested and wrote about his experience.

The NYC Camera Surveillance Project has mapped and located over 2,000 video cameras in Manhattan. As they note, spotting these cameras is a task far from over. As a resident of New York City, it has become tacitly accepted that we live in a 'police state' where many of our moves are documented. Although it may not be as bad as Orwell predicted in his masterpiece 1984, Manhattan and many other cities (especially London) is increasingly under surveillance both by private and public enterprises. The 'big brother' feel of this can and has lead to arrests of protesters who were exercising their First Amendment rights. Time will tell how invasive these cameras will get, but as many psychologists will tell you, the best way for people to feel comfortable with invading their privacy is to do it nice and slow so as to not alarm the populace.