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Rikard's avatar

And another thing: you can buy IR-diodes and embed them. Say along the brim of a baseball cap or your collar, or why not make jewellry out of them?

An IR-diode emits light at a wavelength invisible to us (above 750nm, I think it's around 940nm?) but they mess up digital cameras, who'll just show a blurred lensflare.

You can quite easily make your own, though I expect AI-monitors will alert a human when it detects it is being blocked, and /not/ being able to be spied upon will soon be a crime in its own right.

To protect Our Democracy of course. Liberal capitalism in a democratic globalised world is the best system. Oh yes indeed it is.

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epimetheus's avatar

Apart from the practical IR suggestion, I suspect the effect to be way more sharper contrasts between (15-minute) cities and the rest of the country, if only because it's highly un-economical to roll out such tech surveillance everywhere (think cell phone coverage).

Of course, all will be monitored by AI, rendering the subjugation of humanity complete.

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Rikard's avatar

I forsee two upcoming conflicts of interests with this (apart from the usual concerns):

1) Hijab, niqab, burkhas will require seprate closed-off booths for the wearers to unmask in without strange men - infidels - being able to see them, as well as the hiring of equally islamic women for any manual check required, say for when the tech doesn't work f.e.

2) People with huge beards, facial deformities or scars, burns, rosacea, et cetera will be automatically locked-out of more and more societal functions and as we know from experience with the implementation of "everything online all the time" and smartphones, those who for whatever reason cannot use the technology will simply be tossed aside and ignored.

Progress is a Juggernaught and lives are the grease for its axles.

And the excuse and rationale from the tech-progressives will be the usual too: "Why can't you just conform and adjust a little? It work so well when it works as it's supposed to!"

I wonder how strong an electrical field would have to be, to cause an arc to hit a chip or Neuralink implant.

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epimetheus's avatar

Re 1) I suspect that 'toleration' of such 'practices' will be contingent of otherwise 'good' behaviour (determined by AI), i.e., if you're a 'good', entirely 're-educated' Uighur in China, you're also permitted into 'polite society'.

Re 2) same thing, I suspect; he or she who abides (e.g., 'smile for the gov't' upon entering restricted areas) will be permitted into 'polite society'.

That's not 'progress' (although the Juggernaught aspect is very well taken), it's the exact opposite. In the 18th and 19th century, 'progress' meant less personal un-freedom; today, it appears to bring more of it.

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Candy's avatar

Remember the tv show Person of Interest?

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epimetheus's avatar

Sadly, yes, but there's one other--rather less-negative--aspect to consider: in that show, much like in the awful future seemingly ahead of us, AI-based surveillance stopped at the boundaries of a certain area (Manhattan). It's simply un-economical, to say nothing about practicalities, to cover every corner of the world.

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ExcessDeathsAU's avatar

Australia has had these for 20 years, and West Africa had them 10 years ago.

Welcome to the future, it sucks!

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epimetheus's avatar

Oh, well, I once 'used' such an 'passport control' line at an airport (think it was Schiphol in Amsterdam). Your point notwithstanding, these things aren't 'new'.

What is qualitatively different here, I'd argue, is that these are now deployed not so much by gov't agencies (border patrol) but by private businesses who have, by virtue of the constitution (as well as related legislation) absolutely no business in checking papers, to say nothing about biometrics.

Alas, as with the Covid clusterf***, we now see the deployment of surveillance by 'private' actors.

You're right, it sucks.

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ExcessDeathsAU's avatar

Yes, check out Serco. They are the scariest pseudo-government security company out there. Deep ties to the British aristocracy as well.

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epimetheus's avatar

Will do.

Before I check out Serco, I'd add: I'm not the least surprised that the UK elites are in on this. Not. The. Least.

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Mark's avatar

It looks like “Prison Planet” isn’t just a website anymore.

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epimetheus's avatar

By now, I consider it 'predictive programming', much like AI-themed TV shows.

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