Persistent surveillance by high altitude balloons

[jsharmon7]

The Pentagon is testing high altitude balloons across the US with cameras that can track vehicles through any weather conditions. Seems a bit too Big Brother to me.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/02/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest

 

[flatlander]

They used huge balloons in Iraq with great results but that's a war zone. Don't like it here.

Bob

 

[BigRed]

The Pentagon is testing high altitude balloons across the US with cameras that can track vehicles through any weather conditions. Seems a bit too Big Brother to me.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/02/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest

Well, as the supporters of the "patriot" act like to say.... if you have nothing to hide, why do you care?

 

[churchmouse]

Well, as the supporters of the "patriot" act like to say.... if you have nothing to hide, why do you care?

I am not one of those people.

 

[Vigilant]

I have a problem with the Pentagon tracking anything in the USA?

 

[fullmetaljesus]

This has class action lawsuit all over it. Clever use if high altitude balloon photography but as others have said. This is way to big brother for me.

Makes sense to use in war zones, but not on domestic soil watching innocent citizens.

 

[Sigblitz]

I hope this is just a bunch of hot air.

 

[indykid]

Can't understand why they would need balloons when we have a bunch of spy satellites all around the globe.

 

[indiucky]

I am not one of those people.

I was for a bit but I ain't now......

 

[jsharmon7]

They say it’ll be used for border security, drug trafficking prevention, etc., but it seems like a slippery slope.

 

[MarkC]

Reminds me of the NSA: The only branch of the government that really listens.

When it came to light that NSA was collecting hordes of telephone communication information, everyone was outraged. Only the sheer volume of the information collected protected us from the data actually being used, although they could pull it if a specific reason came to light.

The outrage has now settled, but I suspect the collection still continues.

I have not been on board even since the Patriot Act was first implemented. And that was when I was in law enforcement. Even from the outset it was far more invasive than it needed to be for its stated purpose, to protect us from terrorism. For our own good, of course.

 

[HoughMade]

This has class action lawsuit all over it. Clever use if high altitude balloon photography but as others have said. This is way to big brother for me.

Makes sense to use in war zones, but not on domestic soil watching innocent citizens.

How did the class action suit against Google Earth go.....'cause.....

 

[fullmetaljesus]

How did the class action suit against Google Earth go.....'cause.....

There's quite a difference in taking static photos of an area and tracking individuals in an area.

Imagine I took a picture of a crowd in a public place and you happen to be in it. Now imagine I followed you around all day snapping pics of you in the crowd. Is that the same thing?

 

[SmileDocHill]

I'm not a fan, but if I was I would try to blow them away from me.

 

[HoughMade]

There's quite a difference in taking static photos of an area and tracking individuals in an area.

Imagine I took a picture of a crowd in a public place and you happen to be in it. Now imagine I followed you around all day snapping pics of you in the crowd. Is that the same thing?

If we don't like the policy of an eye in the sky, that's fine and laws can be passed to stop it, but observing from above what is in the open is not unconstitutional.

 

[SmileDocHill]

If we don't like the policy of an eye in the sky, that's fine and laws can be passed to stop it, but observing from above what is in the open is not unconstitutional.

Yeah but how do you define "what is in the open". At some point we'll need lead lined roofing shingles to prevent being "in the open" in our own homes with the way the technology to see through things is going.

 

[Thor]

Systems we use in war...we train with in the US. They would not be setting up a 'let's go monitor joe blow 24/7' system so much as trying to figure out how best to use these things in wartime...data links, maneuvering...what not. We currently fly all of our bombers, intel assets, fighters, RPA, everything over the US; we're generally trying to find a very specific thing among the mass of data that is the world. Monitoring you personally? I don't know anyone in the DoD who has time for that ****.

If it was NSA or DHS I'd be more concerned than when it's the DoD. Also, LOL that it's a Brit paper calling us out on the loss of freedom when they have facial recognition cameras on every corner and will send people to jail for a faceplant post.

Now, if you don't think we should test or train in this country any of our systems ever maybe you have a viable alternative to offer? One that keeps our military ready to deploy at any given moment...without actually using anything we're supposed to employ in theater.

Also, have you heard of Google Loon?

 

[printcraft]

 

[Methane Herder]

I can almost hear Chevy scrambling to add a color to the new Corvette's option list..........Iron Ball Black.

MH

 

[WanderingSol07]

You do know there is already the ability to track most people? It is called the cellular phone network. The police have used it multiple times to find people. There was a case out west, AZ?, where bank robbers would use an ATV as a get-a-way vehicle and go off road so they could not be caught. They did about three banks this way. The police got the cell phone records for the towers nearest the banks and found just one number that was in each cell at the time the bank was robbed. Sure enough, they tracked the person down and it was one of the robbers who turned in the other guy.

Here is Lafayette / West Lafayette a Civil Engineering professor (Purdue) did a research project to measure traffic flow. He set up cheap, simple Bluetooth receivers at various intersections and recorded the time and Bluetooth id during the days of home football games. He does not have names or phone numbers for the Bluetooth ids, but he does know how long, in general, it takes people leaving the game to get to certain destinations, such as I-65 on ramps and other points leading out of town (and even in town destinations).

If you think Google knows a bit about you, just think what Verizon, AT&T, and other providers know since they know where you go all the time. And they share when the police give them a subpoena.

I think the solving of crimes should take less time and an increasing success rate due to this information.

I wonder if the cell providers sell this information (without personal details of course) to businesses, such restaurants, and tell them how many cars / people go by their business at different times of day. Sure would be a good way to figure out where to locate a business based on the amount of traffic that goes by.

Couple this information with cameras would be interesting too.