What Happens When the Surveillance State Becomes an Affordable Gadget?

[ChrisSmolinski]

Maybe it doesn’t faze you that your local police have a $400,000 device that listens in on cell phones. How will you feel when your neighbor has a $1,500 version?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-10/what-happens-when-the-surveillance-state-becomes-an-affordable-gadget

[Josh]

Ah yes, breaking the law in the name of the law.

So, someone (typically a regime supporter) may say, what have you personalty lost in all this NSA spying which is done for our own good?

Just the US Constitution and the rule of law.


Also, recently an armed nut went looking for his ex in another county - apparently to do harm, and the nutters local law enforcement called the potential victims local law enforcement to report the problem that was possibly in their jurisdiction. A description of personage and vehicle was given, and the nutters local law enforcement had "pinged" his cell, the ping giving away that the nutter was indeed in the ex's county at that time. So, even the most mayberry of police depts has nsa-like tools in this modern, sophisticated, carefully concealed police state.

[Josh]

And some light reading on the subject;


    “We want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is tending in that direction. They are dabbling in sex-life scandals and plain blackmail. J. Edgar Hoover would give his right eye to take over, and all congressmen and senators are afraid of him.”—President Harry S. Truman

“Don’t Be a Puppet” is the message the FBI is sending young Americans.

As part of the government’s so-called ongoing war on terror, the nation’s de facto secret police force is now recruiting students and teachers to spy on each other and report anyone who appears to have the potential to be “anti-government” or “extremist.”
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/americas_gestapo_the_fbis_reign_of_terror

[BoomboxDX]

Isn't it a fact that most surveillance in the US presently is in private hands?

I.e., any time you walk into a store, you're on camera. Any time you receive an email and you're using a large internet site for your email, it's being data-scanned. Any search you do online is stored somewhere (for commercial purposes only). And I think most cell phone texts are stored somewhere -- by private companies that run the cell systems. I'm not sure if the locations can be stored, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Etc. Etc.

Then you have the computerised device in your new cars that monitor your driving habits, and some of them apparently have dash cams, too. Nothing like recording every move you make for someone to subpoena if you happen to hit something.

[Nella F.]

    Doesn't phase me, since I need a land line due to cell signals unable to penetrate my apartment's sheet rock walls and aluminum roof, which I've commented on here in the past. On the other hand what Frosts me is the $40.00 monthly bill. About 95-98% of the calls I get are solicitations & scams (actually only one of late), & the occasional long-winded talkfest with me as the long suffering listener (much older sister). The only calls I make are local, such as the local library. Oh, & the cannabis retail stores in the area. But for some strange reason I can't seem to remember why?   

[Josh]

Lots of people get along fine in totalitarian states.

[ff]

    Doesn't phase me, since I need a land line due to cell signals unable to penetrate my apartment's sheet rock walls and aluminum roof, which I've commented on here in the past. On the other hand what Frosts me is the $40.00 monthly bill. About 95-98% of the calls I get are solicitations & scams

I can concur with you Nella.  I have a conventional wood roof but I live in a null zone here and can't utilize a cellphone or wifi or any other personal RF communications technology above 200 MHz or so.  Like you, I appreciate the difficulties that forces upon would be snoopers and like you, I also pay through the nose for landline - about $55 a month here in the Vampire State for Verizon's crummy service.  I'd probably just cut loose and go "phoneless", but all those solicitations and scam calls are just too damn much fun.  Where else can you berate, belittle, be rude and be crude WITHOUT getting into legal trouble?