[sudo-discuss] Dystopia Watch: Surveillance drones coming to a cafe near you.

Tue Mar 5 12:23:57 PST 2013

(Private response from dan included below)

I am not suggesting here that the goal is to neutralize the voice, but to
obfuscate its meaning, to nearby microphones. If there are many sounds
fitting the pattern of the user's voice, then perhaps the technology mr.
Howell mentions would have a harder time 'hearing' the conversation's
actual content in a useful way?  Our brains are excellent at pattern
recognition & targeted focus, and I guess I am positing here that the gap
between their ability to do this, and the software's, is big enough to use.

I'm less concerned about establishing completely secure encrypted
special-use channels (eg redphone), but more am idly thinking about ways to
increase security for day-to-day interactions (redCafe???) ...like doing
harm reduction.

My experience with activism in our modern surveillance state is that, while
a small group can be trained to be truly information secure, this is only
really possible for specific highly covert projects, and it generates
behavior anomalous enough to be its own red flag. Generally speaking you
have to interact with people in their terms, in public or 'normal' ways, to
reach them.  The conversations I expect people will be crucified for are
not the truly secret ones.

Running a device like this in cafes would be a hilarious way to do outreach
about Big Brother.  Many people have no idea of the extent of what is
already possible.

R.

On Mar 5, 2013 11:47 AM, "Daniel Finlay" <namelessdan at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> To truly neutralize a sound the inverted copy of the sound needs to be
perfectly lined up with the original sound in relation to the target
microphone.  (It's impractical for general use.  Besides, if it worked the
way you're imagining, we wouldn't be able to hear each other)
>
>
> On Mar 5, 2013, at 11:34 AM, rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra at gmail.com>
wrote:
>
>> What if everyone carried a device that captured what they were saying
and replayed it, layered along with other recordings of their own voice?
>>
>> Or we could hold all of our meetings without devices, in the fields and
mountains, with birdsong our walls and the sky as our roof.
>>
>> On Mar 5, 2013 11:22 AM, "Matthew D. Howell" <matthewdhowell at gmail.com>
wrote:
>>>
>>> @Rachel The state of the technology for recognizing and separating
>>> patterns in audio is advanced enough to overcome that sort of thing.
>>> Every person's voice has a distinct signature that can be recognized.
>>> I would venture a guess that some kind of encrypted digital signal
>>> transmission would be the best way to keep any sonic communication
>>> private in the most extreme of situations. (most interested party with
>>> the best technology at their disposal)
>>> – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – >8
>>> /V\ /-\ + +  |–| ø \/\/ ∂ £ £
>>> –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
>>> Matthew D. Howell
>>> misterinterrupt, tHe M4d swiTcH, the RuinMechanic
>>> cell: (617) 755-1481
>>> –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 11:16 AM, rachel lyra hospodar
>>> <rachelyra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > Wouldn't it need to be non-commercially available music, so they
couldn't
>>> > just find the audio data of the track, invert its wave, and cancel it
out of
>>> > the recording?
>>> >
>>> > CACOPHONY FOR THE REVOLUTION!
>>> >
>>> > mediumreality.com
>>> >
>>> > On Mar 5, 2013 10:23 AM, "Steve Berl" <steveberl at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> You could carry a boombox around playing loud music where ever you
go.
>>> >> Perhaps this would be the end of earbuds. :-)
>>> >>
>>> >> On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 10:20 AM, Anthony Di Franco <
di.franco at gmail.com>
>>> >> wrote:
>>> >>>
>>> >>> People have rendered surveillance cameras useless with very bright
IR
>>> >>> LEDs in their fields of view.
>>> >>> Could something similar be done for sound recording devices?
>>> >>>
>>> >>> On Mar 5, 2013 6:17 AM, "Anon195714" <anon195714 at sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> Yo's-
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> Something I forgot to add re. DARPA's desire for universal
recording of
>>> >>>> face-to-face conversations.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> What's the ideal device for doing all that recording?
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> How'bout something you wear?  How'bout something that "everyone"
wears?,
>>> >>>> or even a significant fraction of "everyone"?
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> Like maybe Google Glasses.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> Always on, camera and mic always "connected" to "the cloud."
 Orwell's
>>> >>>> telescreen gone mobile.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> Everyone who wears them will become, in effect, _unpaid
surveillance
>>> >>>> drones_ watching their family and friends, not from up in the sky,
but
>>> >>>> from up close where every word can be heard.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> Some will say "oh, there's no stopping technology." People said
that
>>> >>>> about the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb.  But public outcry led
>>> >>>> first to treaties and then to progressive degrees of nuclear
>>> >>>> disarmament.  We haven't used that technology since it was first
used in
>>> >>>> WW2.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> We can stop pernicious tech if we choose.  We can refuse, we can
>>> >>>> withdraw consent, we do not have to press the Buy button.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> Technology should liberate and empower people.  "Conveniences with
a few
>>> >>>> strings attached" are not liberation, they're puppet-strings.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> It's all about control: technology that you can control, vs.
technology
>>> >>>> that can control you.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> -G.
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> =====
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> On 13-03-05-Tue 1:50 AM, Anon195714 wrote:
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > Yo's-
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > This just in:
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > "DARPA wants to make [voice recognition/transcription] systems so
>>> >>>> > accurate, you’ll be able to easily record, transcribe and recall
all
>>> >>>> > the
>>> >>>> > conversations you ever have. ... Imagine living in a world where
every
>>> >>>> > errant utterance you make is preserved forever. ... DARPA
[awarded
>>> >>>> > U.Texas comp sci researcher Matt Lease]... $300,000... over two
years
>>> >>>> > to
>>> >>>> > study the new project, called “Blending Crowdsourcing with
Automation
>>> >>>> > for Fast, Cheap, and Accurate Analysis of Spontaneous Speech.”"
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > "The idea is that business meetings or even conversations with
your
>>> >>>> > friends and family could be stored in archives and easily
searched.
>>> >>>> > The
>>> >>>> > stored recordings could be held in servers, owned either by
>>> >>>> > individuals
>>> >>>> > or their employers. ... The answer, Lease says, is in widespread
use
>>> >>>> > of
>>> >>>> > recording technologies like smartphones, cameras and audio
>>> >>>> > recorders...
>>> >>>> > [A] memorandum from the Congressional Research Service described
[an
>>> >>>> > earlier DARPA project of this type known as] EARS, as focusing on
>>> >>>> > speech
>>> >>>> > picked up from broadcasts and telephone conversations, “as well
as
>>> >>>> > extract clues about the identity of speakers” for “the military,
>>> >>>> > intelligence and law enforcement communities.”"
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/03/darpa-speech/ (Yes, "real
>>> >>>> > geeks
>>> >>>> > don't read Wired," but nonetheless its news pages are useful for
>>> >>>> > keeping
>>> >>>> > a finger on the pulse of Big Brother and his corporate Brethren.)
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > In short:
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > DARPA is researching the means by which every conversation you
have,
>>> >>>> > in-person, whether at work or with family or friends, gets
picked up
>>> >>>> > by
>>> >>>> > the mic in your smartphone or other portable device, and stored
on a
>>> >>>> > server, where DARPA's algorithms and human editors turn all of
it into
>>> >>>> > fast-searchable text, that could be used by your employer, the
>>> >>>> > military,
>>> >>>> > law enforcement, and intel agencies. Presumably the credit
bureaus,
>>> >>>> > insurance companies, and financial institutions will want "in"
on the
>>> >>>> > data as well.
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > Now connect that with this, about cell-site tracking and call
detail
>>> >>>> > records:
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > "The government maintained [that] Americans have no expectation
of
>>> >>>> > privacy of such cell-site records [call detail records or CDR]
because
>>> >>>> > they are in the possession of a third party — the mobile phone
>>> >>>> > companies."
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/03/gps-drug-dealer-retrial/
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > The key point is that the gov's current position is that data
stored
>>> >>>> > on
>>> >>>> > a third party's servers have "no expectation of privacy." What
begins
>>> >>>> > with CDR will eventually include voicemail messages stored on the
>>> >>>> > mobile
>>> >>>> > phone companies' servers, and then eventually all of your live
>>> >>>> > in-person
>>> >>>> > conversations that are stored "in the cloud."
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > "Anything you say can and will be used against you..." Mark my
words.
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > Meanwhile people keep using gmail and Google Voice, and
smartphones
>>> >>>> > from
>>> >>>> > which they can't remove the batteries. Because nothing is more
>>> >>>> > important
>>> >>>> > than "convenience," right?
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > As a character in a sci-fi piece I wrote in the mid-1980s said,
"Why
>>> >>>> > put
>>> >>>> > a person in prison, when you can put prison in the person
instead?"
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > -G.
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> >>>> > sudo-discuss mailing list
>>> >>>> > sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>> >>>> > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>> >>>> >
>>> >>>>
>>> >>>> _______________________________________________
>>> >>>> sudo-discuss mailing list
>>> >>>> sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>> >>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>> >>>
>>> >>>
>>> >>> _______________________________________________
>>> >>> sudo-discuss mailing list
>>> >>> sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>> >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>> >>>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> --
>>> >> -steve
>>> >> _______________________________________________
>>> >> sudo-discuss mailing list
>>> >> sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>> >> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > sudo-discuss mailing list
>>> > sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>> > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>> >
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> sudo-discuss mailing list
>> sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://sudoroom.org/pipermail/sudo-discuss/attachments/20130305/b533f1df/attachment.html>