Sneak Peek at Next-Generation Surveillance
BBC corespondent Humphrey Hawksley recently got up-close and personal with Big Brother, or rather the people developing the next generation of surveillance technology. Hawksley's first visit was with a team of researchers at Maryland University. They've developed a technology that can pick individuals out of a crowd based on the way they walk. His second visit was with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (the guys who invented the Internet), which is working on projects as widely diverse as instant language translation and an unmanned surveillance plane that could stay up in the air for as long as five years at a clip. Finally, Hawksley gets a sneak peek at some amazing surveillance technology that uses radio signals to see through walls.
While all of this is a glimpse into the, perhaps, scary future, U.S. cities such as Chicago and New York City are already beginning to test systems similar to London's, which allows the 24/7 monitoring of many city streets. Post-9/11, surveillance in one form or another is a necessary evil that, for the most part, the public seems to be OK with. According to recent polls in both the U.S. and Britain, about 75 percent of citizens want more surveillance, not less.
We agree, but only to a point. After all, it's all fun and games until you're awoken out of bed every morning by the giant face on the screen above your cot.
From BBC
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