News that the government is set to expand the nationwide installation of surveillance bugs on buses that record conversations serves as a reminder that similar systems are also being readied for street lights, along with a host of other devices.
“Government
officials are quietly installing sophisticated audio surveillance systems on
public buses across the country to eavesdrop on passengers, according to
documents obtained by The Daily. Plans to implement the technology are under way
in cities from San Francisco to Hartford, Conn., and Eugene, Ore., to Columbus,
Ohio.”
Michael Brick
warns that the device will be able to, “transcribe the individual conversations
of every passenger riding on a public bus,” at the behest of authorities adding
that the DHS-funded project represents a horrendous affront to privacy
laws.
However, as we
have previously documented, buses are by no means the only place where big
brother will not only be watching, but listening too.
High tech street
lights with “homeland security applications” are now being installed in major
U.S. cities.
A press release
put out by Amerlux earlier this year announced the company’s partnership with
Illuminating Concepts to further advance the rollout of ‘Intellistreets’. The
announcement confirms that the street lights will have a number of “homeland
security features” including a loudspeaker system that will be used to “engage
captive audiences”.
Not only can the street lights, now being rolled out in Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh with Department of Energy backing, act as surveillance cameras, Minority Report-style advertising hubs, and Homeland Security alert systems, they are “also capable of recording conversations,” according to a report by ABC 7. Prison Planet
Basic light
starts at $3,000 dollars. By spring of next year there is a good chance you
could see them pop up in your city. The first of these light poles sit on 10
mile Road just East of Orchard Lake Road. Inventor Ron Harwood already has
orders from cities across Metro Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh and he's working
with Homeland Security. WXYZ According to the
companies behind the system, Intellistreets spying hubs that double as street
lights are expected to “become commonplace” not only on regular streets but also
for “retail malls, sports venues, on college campuses, and in new construction.”
In San
Francisco, the Department of Homeland Security is funding the entire cost with a
grant. Elsewhere, the federal government is also providing some financial
support. Officials in Concord, N.C., for example, used part of a $1.2 million
economic stimulus grant to install a combined audio and video surveillance
system on public transit vehicles, records show. The Daily The ACLU said
that, “It is not generally legal for law enforcement (or anyone else) to make
audio recordings of conversations in which they are not a participant without a
warrant.” ACLU.org In March, former
CIA director David Petraeus said that the rise of new “smart” gadgets means that
Americans are effectively bugging their own homes, saving U.S. spy agencies a
job when it identifies any “persons of interest.”
Infowar.com Speaking at a
summit for In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s technology investment operation, Petraeus made
the comments when discussing new technologies which aim to add processors and
web connections to previously ‘dumb’ home appliances such as fridges, ovens and
lighting systems. Infowar.com
AGB/AGB
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