[265] in Privacy_Forum
[ PRIVACY Forum ] U.S. Spy Satellites vs. Google Earth (I Spy with My
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (privacy@vortex.com)
Fri Aug 17 16:50:54 2007
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Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:58:58 -0700
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U.S. Spy Satellites vs. Google Earth (I Spy with My Big Eye)
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000269.html
http://forums.pfir.org/main/messages/663/701.html
Greetings. When it comes to privacy concerns, it's best not to waste
your breath worrying about issues that don't really matter much in
the scheme of things -- there are too many really important concerns
that can go sliding blithely by if you're not careful.
When people raised a big stink about Google Maps Street View, I
suggested ( http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000244.html ) that it
didn't represent a problem in its current form with infrequently
updated images. In fact, we have far more to worry about from the
proliferation of law enforcement accessible cameras being deployed
widely with little or no real oversight and massive capabilities for
abuse.
A similar scenario is now playing out in the area of satellite
surveillance, where it was just announced that the Bush
administration -- apparently with the blessing of key Congressional
committees who by all rights should know better -- plans to begin
using real-time surveillance satellites for law enforcement purposes
inside the U.S. (e.g. domestic spying).
These satellites, designed with immensely powerful capabilities for
international surveillance purposes, will now not only be used by
the federal government for whatever domestic purposes it sees fit,
but the plan also includes making them available to all levels of
law enforcement throughout the country.
Of course, we're being promised that access to this treasure-trove
of superlative quality imagery and other data will be properly
controlled.
Right, just like the way that use of National Security Letters was
properly controlled ("Sorry, the dog ate our files, we can't even
tell you how much NSL abuse actually went on!"). Or like the
wholesale vacuuming of Internet data via secret wiretapping closets
("Your honor, you must dismiss the case, because it has no merit,
we'd never admit to such a thing, and if we told you what really
went on it would violate national security and upset the tradecraft
boys no end!")
In other words, any time that we grant the government extraordinary
surveillance capabilities, oversight and trust are key. We do not
have sufficient oversight in place, and this administration has
squandered any trust that they might have originally had.
In this light, concerns about Google Earth's static imagery fade
mightily on the concern-o-meter compared with the concept of NSA and
CIA birds pointing their focal lengths in our direction under
control of the current merry gang inside the beltway.
Google has its faults, but in match-ups between Google and Attorney
General ("I can't recall ...") Gonzales, you'll likely find me
rooting for the Google Boys every time.
Watch the skies!
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com or lauren@pfir.org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
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