BigBrother IS watiching

[0kult13]

http://www.businessinsider.com/trapwire-everything-you-need-to-know-2012-8

Our beloved pals at wikileaks have revealed trapwire, of course par for the course here in the uk.

"
The U.S. cable networks won't be covering this one tonight (not accurately, anyway), but Trapwire is making the rounds on social media today—it reportedly became a Trending hashtag on Twitter earlier in the day."

"
Every few seconds, data picked up at surveillance points in major cities and landmarks across the United States are recorded digitally on the spot, then encrypted and instantaneously delivered to a fortified central database center at an undisclosed location to be aggregated with other intelligence. It's part of a program called TrapWire and it's the brainchild of the Abraxas, a Northern Virginia company staffed with elite from America's intelligence community."

I guess its just to keep everyone safe from terrorists. This will no doubt be multiplexed with data from the telecoms network and thier other database facebook.

[bayonetbrant]

Business Insider is usually pretty reliable, but some of the hyperbolic comments in this column make me wonder just how much of this story is true.  If it *is* true, then it's ridiculously dangerous program and needs to be shut down *now*.

[0kult13]

Wikileak seem to have upset someone powerful as the sites been down under DDoS attack for a few days now.

[LongBlade]

Brant's correct about the hyperbole. That report has a lot of loaded language that makes it sound a bit kooky.

However, it wouldn't surprise me if something like this were going on. I hope not, but I wouldn't be shocked to see it confirmed.

[LongBlade]

Apparently Trapwire is real, and not especially a secret. Whether it does what that article says isn't perfectly clear: http://www.trapwire.com/trapwire.html

The TrapWire system includes a variety of features and components that are configured and delivered based on the specific needs of the customer organization and its end users. There are currently three different TrapWire systems available for public and private sector clients:

• TW-CI (TrapWire Critical Infrastructure) focuses on the identification of pre-operational surveillance activities occurring around specific sites within the TrapWire Network   
• TW-CM (TrapWire Community Member) supports the online reporting of suspicious behavior by community members, such as the iWatch programs in Los Angeles and Washington DC, and See Something Say Something in Las Vegas and New York
• TW-LE (TrapWire Law Enforcement) provides the ability to gather, analyze and disseminate information about surveillance and logistical activities occurring across an entire geographic region, including information gathered via TW CI and TW CM deployments

Here's an article that is written in less loaded language: http://www.zdnet.com/google-salesforce-were-allegedly-offered-trapwire-spy-tool-7000002505/:

The program, called TrapWire, was developed by US-based Abraxas Corporation, which is alleged to be staffed by many former US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents. TrapWire is meant to identify terrorists who approach a facility multiple times as they conduct their surveillance. According to Abraxas' documentation on TrapWire, it is able to correlate video surveillance with other data, such as watch lists. It can, for example, identify suspected terrorists using facial recognition or stolen vehicles by reading number plates, and then correlate this information with other event data that it already has.

In internal Stratfor emails leaked by WikiLeaks, it was revealed that TrapWire may have already been implemented in several locations around the world. The leak indicates that Stratfor is in the process of setting up an agreement with Abraxas in order to gain intelligence that it could provide to its own customers.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Business Insider is usually pretty reliable, but some of the hyperbolic comments in this column make me wonder just how much of this story is true.  If it *is* true, then it's ridiculously dangerous program and needs to be shut down *now*.

It seems like the point is that many things that would be seen as intrusion if the government did it, is ok for a private firm to collect, then sell to the same agencies.


I think real safety comes from having content people not from gathering all their data. If society is not focused on that then maybe the people leading have the wrong priorities.

[LongBlade]

Business Insider is usually pretty reliable, but some of the hyperbolic comments in this column make me wonder just how much of this story is true.  If it *is* true, then it's ridiculously dangerous program and needs to be shut down *now*.

It seems like the point is that many things that would be seen as intrusion if the government did it, is ok for a private firm to collect, then sell to the same agencies.

The difference is that if K-Mart thinks you're plotting to do something they'll kick you out and ask you not to shop there again.

If the government loses a screw you get your door kicked in with lethal force backing it up.

There is a reason why the Constitution was put together with safeguards like the 4th amendment. It's supposed to be difficult to abuse power because the consequences for mistakes, mixups, incompetence, or outright power grabs have much more significant consequences.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

You are right.


Still, its not likely they will use force without a very good reason. There is this thing called criminal negligence causing death that they would worry about.


The last story in the news that i remember was waco. I bet a lot of people work to avoid such incidents in the future.

[LongBlade]

You are right.


Still, its not likely they will use force without a very good reason. There is this thing called criminal negligence causing death that they would worry about.


The last story in the news that i remember was waco. I bet a lot of people work to avoid such incidents in the future.

Also an excellent point.

The good news is that we've not read many stories of abuse (though shutting down the city of Boston over some advertising signs stands out). Rights are being trampled, but fortunately the next step has so far been largely held in check. Thankfully.

Still, I'd rather we stuck to the law as written as opposed to the law as they'd like it to be.