Big Brother in YOUR house!

[phishphreek]

Big Brother's in the House Reuters
Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,60373,00.html

09:02 AM Sep. 10, 2003 PT

Big Brother technology that already allows people to be tracked through their mobile phones could soon be installed in household objects, tipping off police if they are stolen.

Televisions, DVD players and computers could be fitted with microchips identifying their location and their normal proximity to each other, automatically alerting police if they change unexpectedly, according to a scientist on Wednesday.

"We haven't yet proved the technology will do it, but we are confident it will," said Nigel Linge, a professor at Britain's Center for Networking Telecommunications Research.

He said a police-monitored pilot project testing the hybrid wireless and mobile phone technology should be up and running within six months in the northern English city of Manchester.

The technology could probably locate a tagged machine down to the nearest meter, Linge said.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Linge said there were even talks about installing global positioning technology in cars that could regulate speed.

"If you are in a 30-miles-an-hour zone, the system would automatically prevent the car going over that speed," Linge said.

Linge said he was well aware of the potential implication for civil liberties of the intrusive potential of the new technology, but at present he was focusing only on the technical aspects.

I think this has to be one of the most rediculous things I've ever heard! Who the hell would put a tracking system on a device that costs only $100-200!? What if I decided that I wanted to watch a dvd at my buddies... but he doesn't have a dvd player. So... I bring mine and the cops show up without bringing the popcorn?!

I can see the technology being useful for cars (low jack) and such... but come on now.

Isn't that what home owners/renters insurance is for?

And as for the car system. That is even more crazy! Do you know how much money the states will loose from speeding tickets and how much they'd have to raise taxes to compensate.

If they were going to put any monitoring system in a car... it should require you to take a breathalyzer test before the car can be started... not regulate how fast you can go. They aready have "black boxes" and speed controllers in cars which people have been ripping out and installing chips to disable these systems. What is to stop people from doing the same thing with this?

[thadbme]

I read an article in Machine Design awile back that was about the tracking devices in stores such as walmart. You know the little plastic pieces on dvds & such that they have to deactivate? The next generation of these devices wouldn't simply be demagnatized by the register, they would simply be deactivated, and could be reactivated if scanned again. The advantages of this was if someone bought a product, then returned it, the security would already be there.

On top of this the little devices were getting so sophisticated that they could be used as a sort of live inventory of what stores had available.

Another one of their advantages were their price. They are getting so cheap that many manufacturers are actually inputing the devices inside the box instead of on the outside. Buy a new dvd now & i'll bet there is one on the inside.

All this babbling is from memory so i dont know exact specifics, but this technology cannot be far from what the GPS technology is working on.

And if they are going to be mass produced, they too will decline in price and be more popular.

I can see advantages and disadvantages of this, but i too disagree with some of the issues.

Freaky deaky eh?

[phishphreek]

I believe what you are talking about is RFID tags. Walmart did put them in, but shortly removed them from the shelves . They want to use the in warehouses... not in the stores. Just for the testing. (The last time I read about it).

RFID Chips Are Here
By Scott Granneman
Posted: 27/06/2003 at 13:17 GMT

Bar codes are something most of us never think about. We go to the grocery store to buy dog food, the checkout person runs our selection over the scanner, there's an audible beep or boop, and then we're told how much money we owe. Bar codes in that sense are an invisible technology that we see all the time, but without thinking about what's in front of our eyes.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/31461.html

Starting this week, the nation's largest discount retailer will quietly begin selling tracking-chipped products to clueless shoppers. The first volley in their war against our privacy is set to start at their Brockton, Massachusetts store.

Wal-Mart will put Radio Frequency I.D. sensors on shelves stocked with RFID-tagged Gillette products, but they'd rather you didn't know about it, because, hey, you might not like it, and then you might make noise and then they'd have a big PR mess on their hands.

You might even stop buying Gillette products or, say, refuse to shop at Wal-Mart.

http://auctionknowhow.com/articles/wmart.shtml

I have to say... since I have read about this... I have stopped shopping at walmart...
I'm all about privacy... what little privacy we have left. Soon we will have none left...

[Syini666]

That is pretty insane to have all your household items tagged and if moved too far they set off an alarm. What about if you sell off something to get some cash for whatever reason, Im sure that would also create a snag in the system. As for speed control regarding cars, that is just insane, and poses a huge safety risk. Take for instance your in a 20mph area in a town, and some crazy freak (or a fire truck) is barreling down on you, only doing 20 to get out of the way might not be enough if the nearest space to get off the road is like 1000+ feet away. There already are governors in most 03 and up cars, why would people want yet another thing to take away their control of the car? As for the BAC detection system, thats actually a pretty good idea, and some states are employing it in cars for people who have been conviced of drunk driving as part of a probation system.

[CXGJarrod]

I wonder what would happen if you move and dont tell them. They would think you whole house was robbed.

[phishphreek]

Originally posted here by CXGJarrod
I wonder what would happen if you move and dont tell them. They would think you whole house was robbed.

That'd be pretty interesting.

Driving down the interstate, you see a whole team of SWAT roll up on two moving trucks, shoot out the tires, and cause a 25 car pile up all because of some stupid chips.

[keezel]

Lmao! Moving day would suck even worse! I'd move like daily just to piss everyone off. I'd be taking like every digital thing I had to work every day.... They'd probably bring some kind of court charges against me for "harrassment" or something... Wouldn't that be fun?

[D0pp139an93r]

phishphreek, where I live, Pinellas county, Florida. Anyone who gets a DUI supposively has to have a breathalyzer installed as an ignition lockout. If you're drunk, it won't start.

[phishphreek]

Originally posted here by D0pp139an93r
phishphreek, where I live, Pinellas county, Florida. Anyone who gets a DUI supposively has to have a breathalyzer installed as an ignition lockout. If you're drunk, it won't start.

D0pp139an93r:
Sweet! Thats what we need here. I live near a college that is in the top 10 for partying and there are tons of DUIs each week. Several major accidents. They really need to be doing that up here. If that were in place... I might not have lost a couple of friends due to drunk driving...

Does it lockout at a certain BAC? Or, can you still have a drink or two with dinner? I won't drive after 2 beverages... and thats including 1-2hrs of dinner time, or chillin out.

[CXGJarrod]

Originally posted here by phishphreek80

D0pp139an93r:
Sweet! Thats what we need here. I live near a college that is in the top 10 for partying and there are tons of DUIs each week. Several major accidents. They really need to be doing that up here. If that were in place... I might not have lost a couple of friends due to drunk driving...

Does it lockout at a certain BAC? Or, can you still have a drink or two with dinner? I won't drive after 2 beverages... and thats including 1-2hrs of dinner time, or chillin out.

The ones in California are supposed to not let you drink at all. But there were always news stories of drunks paying someone sober to breathe into the breathalizer so they could get home.