[skeeba]

In 2013, police in Grants Pass, Oregon, got a tip that a man named Curtis W. Croft had been illegally growing marijuana in his backyard. So they checked Google Earth. Indeed, the four-month-old satellite image showed neat rows of plants growing on Croft’s property. The cops raided his place and seized 94 plants.

In 2018, Brazilian police in the state of Amapá used real-time satellite imagery to detect a spot where trees had been ripped out of the ground. When they showed up, they discovered that the site was being used to illegally produce charcoal, and arrested eight people in connection with the scheme.

Chinese government officials have denied or downplayed the existence of Uighur reeducation camps in Xinjiang province, portraying them as “vocational schools.” But human rights activists have used satellite imagery to show that many of the “schools” are surrounded by watchtowers and razor wire.

Every year, commercially available satellite images are becoming sharper and taken more frequently. In 2008, there were 150 Earth observation satellites in orbit; by now there are 768. Satellite companies don’t offer 24-hour real-time surveillance, but if the hype is to be believed, they’re getting close. Privacy advocates warn that innovation in satellite imagery is outpacing the US government’s (to say nothing of the rest of the world’s) ability to regulate the technology. Unless we impose stricter limits now, they say, one day everyone from ad companies to suspicious spouses to terrorist organizations will have access to tools previously reserved for government spy agencies. Which would mean that at any given moment, anyone could be watching anyone else.

Link: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/61374...n-privacy/

[Drako]

While this can be a source for justice, but like almost all good things, it will definitely get exploited. Of course the feds will end up spying on us all the time with this, but if they really wanted something in today's day and age, they just go and get it. So as long as it stays in the hands of police and our government we should be alright.

[mothered]

It's bad enough being monitored online, and they're thinking of doing the same IRL.

On the upside, It'll significantly help the Identification and apprehension of those who commit crimes.

[Johnngnky]

While this can be a source for justice, but like almost all good things, it will definitely get exploited. Of course the feds will end up spying on us all the time with this, but if they really wanted something in today's day and age, they just go and get it. So as long as it stays in the hands of police and our government we should be alright.

What if we just face it, we know we are being spied on, and get on with life? Humanity is ever changing, and these are unavoidable.

[skeeba]

What if we just face it, we know we are being spied on, and get on with life? Humanity is ever changing, and these are unavoidable.

Could be sarcasm, but I'm treating it as not.

> get on with life
Well, I don't think we should just get on with life. The future of free societies requires collective control over how technology is used, with certain inalienable tenets: chiefly, that advanced technology is never consolidated into federal custody.

This is to guarantee, as much as possible, that governments will not repress our rights. Countries with oppressive regimes are mainly a thing in the 'developing world', with most using little 'modern' technology to achieve oppression. The advancement and use of such sophisticated technology, monopolised by governments, is just asking for trouble.

[Tracefl0w]

What if we just face it, we know we are being spied on, and get on with life? Humanity is ever changing, and these are unavoidable.

Could be sarcasm, but I'm treating it as not.

> get on with life
Well, I don't think we should just get on with life. The future of free societies requires collective control over how technology is used, with certain inalienable tenets: chiefly, that advanced technology is never consolidated into federal custody.

This is to guarantee, as much as possible, that governments will not repress our rights. Countries with oppressive regimes are mainly a thing in the 'developing world', with most using little 'modern' technology to achieve oppression.  The advancement and use of such sophisticated technology, monopolised by governments, is just asking for trouble.

Couldn't agree more.
However, it will most likely take many years before they'll be able to track the entire human race. I'm also having it hard to find a reason as to why they would like to track every square meter on earth or even to base the surveillance on high resolution area coverage at all. Satellites are good for precise data gathering and following one specific object. For instance, if you're going to track a big chunk of people, you can't approach it the same way. The moment that group splits you would need a bunch of satellites to track them and the cost of that is incredibly high.

[natifix]

It's bad enough being monitored online, and they're thinking of doing the same IRL.

On the upside, It'll significantly help the Identification and apprehension of those who commit crimes.

lol

sad...

i hope you truly dont believe this.


no man is safe when freedom fails. the best men rot in filthy jails while those who cried appease appease are hanged by those they tried to please.


I seriously thought we all knew better... apparently I was so fucking wrong. I have lost faith in humans ability to discern truth and to stand for it. Im just waiting for the end now.