With Christmas upon us, also comes the tradition of giving and receiving of presents. This essay is not about presents but presence, even though present events present us with a few presents.
Our very presence is now something to be concerned about. As the advance formations of technology manifest themselves, it is worth thinking about what is beyond the horizon, to the coming revolution. We must consider our privacy and hastily produce strategies to prevent its complete loss. If that loss seems inevitable, then it would make sense to mitigate the loss, by bracing and informing ourselves of our evolving environment. Privacy and the ability to prevent the imposition of others spying upon our presence, is irrefutably linked to our freedom
How inconvenient to be caught, by excited and insomniac children, filling the Christmas stocking, taking the milk and mince pies, and drinking the sherry. That little bit of magic that lights up their world is possibly spoilt by the creak of the stairs and a shadow. How much worse would it be for Saint Nicholas to be caught on CCTV? It may, of course, add some magic to the adult world, but that wouldn’t do, at all.
We are told that CCTV is a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism, and has always been used to fight crime generally. There are laws such as those in The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 that should regulate the use of ‘bulk personal datasets’, but the Act was referred to as ‘The Snoopers’ Charter’, justifying another curtailment of our freedoms.
In the end, it would be a matter of trust. How much trust is there left in this crazy world, none?
An abuse of power, an infringement of privacy and what can we do about it, nothing?
The estimated 5.9 million CCTV cameras are, of course, the thin end of the wedge. It is disingenuous to call them closed-circuit televisions, as one could easily argue that they are anything but. With the advent of smart on-line systems linking dumb cameras, the tracking of people is way ahead of people’s realisations and understanding.
Yes, but you say, there are lots of people milling about in public places, how could they differentiate between all those in red suits and wide belts? Could it be the soft smile, the rosy cheeks, and the white hair? Ah, yes! Facial recognition.
The use of facial recognition systems, by the police in public places, has already been accepted by the courts. The technology has been used for concerts and sports events where the ‘usual suspects’ have been identified. But what of the rest of us?
It is believed that 500,000 people’s faces were scanned during South Wales Police trials. But don’t worry they are only trials. Again the excuse, ‘it is used to detect and prevent crime’. Perhaps if we all lived in Orwell’s dystopian world there would be no crime and no freedom.
So we are talking of balance? Whose balance? Not ours for sure. With CCTV one may argue that if there is nothing to hide there is nothing to fear. Perhaps we underestimate the connectivity as we present our Debit Card or our ‘Loyalty Card’ while the ubiquitous cameras watch our every move? Perhaps we underestimate the storage capacity, the processing power and the ability of Artificial Intelligence to single us out as necessary? A cashless society is also one that records your presence. To you, Santa, there is no charge.
As we are herded along, the corridor gets narrower.
This is a sorry story, and at Christmas too!
Lighten up, do not be paranoid, turn on the telly and watch the extravaganza of seasonal sensations. Now we can access so many channels and films from our Smart Routers, brought to you for free, connecting fibre technology to our homes. A sugary introduction to the ‘internet of things’.
Smart hubs are so clever they can detect your movement by bouncing microwaves from bodies. Their sensing can identify individual characteristics with surprising accuracy even through walls. “The data is used to provide targeted services and improve the quality of the service supplied”, of course. With embedded ‘backdoor’ firmware they are a ‘gateway’ into your home.
Needless to say, these appliances can be hacked.
If your presence is monitored then others can know who is in your home, where in your home, and even what you are doing. That may be good if there is an intruder, but the data collected will not differentiate. Some devices can continue to snoop, even when people think they have been turned off.
In the ‘Smart Home,’ Father Christmas would have little chance of carrying out his important duties, unobserved.
Could we wear Grouch Marx’s facial props in public places? Could an entrepreneur devise signal blocking wallpaper? Perhaps silver-backed gowns will protect our identities.
How ironic that we hear of the present controversy between Facebook and the government, about accessing encrypted communication, given all the social problems caused by this media. One would be right to consider the links between the communication of information and democracy. There is a difference between information, wisdom, and love, but that is another subject. This article focuses on presence.
Time for one exception. Just when we have so much to do, the chore of writing Christmas cards almost seems too much. A scrawl, sometimes just the sender’s name, but how good, so good, to give and to receive. Little packets of love to say ‘I remembered you’, undetected, and without surveillance. Just from you to me and me to you, delivered by hand.
Cue the drones. No seriously, make your stand but don’t stand alone.
The cold, stillness and loneliness at twilight, on Christmas Eve, and maybe, the crunch of crisp new snow with the thin air. There is a magic that cannot be touched. A little magic is something we all need sometimes.
Have a Happy Christmas everyone.
And let’s all give Father Christmas a little slack.
A story that I didn’t have space to include in today’s news review:
A US government study suggests facial recognition algorithms are far less accurate at identifying African-American and Asian faces compared to Caucasian faces.
African-American females were even more likely to be misidentified, it indicated.
It throws fresh doubt on whether such technology should be used by law enforcement agencies.
One critic called the results “shocking”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50865437
Yes I saw that report. The claim was that facial recognition systems were sexist and racist because of the failure on specific ethnicities and gender.
But this is new! How long before it is fullproof?
My mention of a Groucho Marx prop may have souded like a joke but it may be the answer, as is a coating material over car number plates.
When laws and regulations, codes etc are made or imposed for deceitful or unfounded or tenuous reasons then tangled webs are woven.
We can see it in the latest case of another stupid judge trying to enforce an opinion of gender on a tax researcher. The pc narrative is breaking down as it doesn’t stand up in the face of common sense. Thank God. We will be able to look back and say ‘I lived through that’. We just need to hold our nerve.
Stand together and shout ‘the truth will out’!
“We are told that CCTV is a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism, and has always been used to fight crime generally.”
Long before there were rivers of blood in parts of London due to knife-crime, indeed even before Enoch Powel predicted it and well before British-born terrorists were, if reports on this are correct, allowed re-entry to the UK after committing treason abroad we had 6’ policeMEN on the beat in London armed only with a baton, handcuffs and a whistle. (And no knife-proof vests.)
Are we safer now, with the security cameras and politically correct PCs sleuthing away, ferreting out hate-crime?
Or have changes perhaps been brought in intentionally to CREATE an environment where people accept, nay even demand, the surveillance state. To keep themselves ‘safe’.
Oh how the Soviet era commissars could only have dreamed of the power our ruling elites now have to keep the British Tommy quiet, head down, hard at work, and not too uppity, while they go about their very rewarding, sometimes very nefarious activities without interference.
Or did Jeffrey Epstein really commit suicide?
Cashless society. Yes I was grumbling recently about how difficult it is to get my hands on my own money. Shortage of banks, cash machines etc and how much you can withdraw per day. It made me think of Greece during the banking crisis. How the Greeks were literally starved into submission by the EU. I said well at least we’ve been saved from being forced into the Eurozone. But of course the problem is much wider and deeper than that.
Years ago an officious woman behind the counter of the bank branch in the next village (when there was one), insisted I MUST provide her with my telephone number before I could transact any business there. Needless to say I refused and she had to give way. Now of course we are all ‘encouraged’ to bank on line. So even more private info is out there. And as I understand it these smart meters for home energy simply allow the company to take money out of one’s current account as and when they decide.
I am probably cutting off my nose to spite my face on one issue. Water meter. Since I do far less than most people in the way of washing myself or clothes, it would probably pay me to have one! (Endless cups of strong tea though.)
The “cashless society” provides the all encompassing surveillance. The end is nigh.
Kim,
You are right to be concerned. Some “Smart” cars already have the ability to immobliise themselves and call for assistance after an accident. Many people have accepted so-called smart meters into their homes. Those smart phones can be tracked.
Of course no-one thinks that such things will be abused by government. If we let them create the “cashless society” then they have the ability to restrict all we do, even starving us by preventing the purchase of food and restricting travel.
None of these developments were intended to benefit us; all were intended to impose control. Am I being cynical? We will see but why give “them” the means and opportunity?
I don’t think you’re being cynical, Jack. Aware would be a better word, I think.
Totally agree with you Jack and Michael.