Previous message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-02758.html ******** Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 23:09:23 -0500 (EST) From: mannat_private To: declanat_private Subject: Re: airport security; What's the problem with totalitarianism... Cc: mannat_private Declan, here's a response for your list, which I think your politech readers may find to be of interest: >From: John Gilmore <gnuat_private> >Cc: declanat_private, gnuat_private ... >Wendy, you said: > > All in all, I don't understand the problem with face-cams at borders or > > airports. It affects only those whose pictures already appear in a database, > > and so the issue should be--who's in the database, not whether or not we use > > this unobtrusive technology. >You're close to right. The issue is whether the public will ever be privy >to how those cameras actually work. ... >But the catch is that once they put up the cameras, there is no way >for the public to know WHAT way they are being used. They could In my new book (published through Randomhouse, Doubleday, with link from http://wearcam.org/cyborg.htm) I introduce the notion of sousveillance (inverse surveillance). Following Simon Davies' definition of "totalitarian regime" we can use a camera as a simple totalitarian tester, e.g. what happens when ordinary citizens photograph officials, (and perhaps enter their faces into a database)? If the officials are upset, we have what we might call a "totalitarian regime". Davies notes that a totalitarian regime is one in which the regime would like to know everything about everyone but reveal nothing about itself. Thus the real question is not so much whether or not we have face cams, but, the real question is whether or not officials also submit to being held accountable (e.g. by way of sousveillance), in the same way we submit to surveillance. In my book I describe 20 years of wearing camera systems, in most day-to-day life, and how people have responded. Most notable is the response of officials. It seems that officials are the ones most afraid of accountability. Thus the creation of World Sousveillance Day (http://wearcam.org/wsd.htm) every year, December 24th in which passengers photograph cab drivers, customers photograph shopkeepers, citizens photograph police, etc.. There is also a photo competition to encourage participants to send in pictures to be included in a national face recognition database. ******** Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 21:36:40 -0500 To: notboredat_private From: SCP-New York <notboredat_private> Subject: performance against face recognition software In answer to the call recently issued by FANCLUB in Manchester, England (see below), the New York SCP will be cutting into the sight lines of a public web camera -- an Internet surveillance device -- operated by a privacy-insensitive company on Saturday 17 November 2001 to protest against face recognition software. Used to match freshly captured images of people's faces against databases, face recognition software is now being introduced at airports all over the United States (Oakland, Boston, Providence, Denver) to combat so-called terrorism. The NY SP's performance will start at exactly 4:30 pm Eastern Standard Time (1:30 pm in California, 9:30 pm in London and 10:30 pm in Berlin), will last about 10 minutes, and will be repeated twice if possible. this URL is your browser supports Java http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/cam6.html this URL if your browser doesn't support Java (remember to click "Reload" every 15 seconds or so) http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/cam6_nojava.html For more information, contact (212) 561-0106 <notboredat_private> http://www.surveillancecameraplayers.org FANCLUB offers a --- PROPOSED MANCHESTER ACTION 17 November 2001 In response to the developments in face recognition software FANCLUB are making a performance gesture for Futuresonic. Using Futuresonic's map of surveillance cameras in Manchester, a team of performers will walk through Manchester city performing for the cameras with big crosses shaved on their heads. This is an idiot-proof and cheap alternative to face recognition software, it will assist the surveillance workers to spot the trouble-makers, thus saving much needed capital. We are performing in an arts festival here in Nottingham. The production manager Kamal is directing a sonic festival, with an art/activist/surveillance theme in Manchester 13-18 November. They've produced a map of all the surveillance cameras in the city centre. <www.futuresonic.com> They have commisioned uk artists to make work from SC footage recovered through the data protection act. This is a collaboration with the comedian/activist Mark Thomas from Channel 4 fame. All very interesting! FANCLUB info contact noquibbleat_private ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Nov 09 2001 - 10:30:50 PST