Is it Big Brother?

I completely agree.

Point well taken. Frankly, I was thinking about the ones that are standard in cars these days. They're registered to the car buyer. Those devices they advertise for us old folks who live alone so they can keep an eye on us are also examples af entirely too much watching.

Actually, I listened to a talk last year of professor of "law" who worked as a Fed prior to becoming a professor recently. He clicked off several criminal cases where GPS was essential in finding and catching the "suspects." And because of the Patriot Act they did it without a warrant.

We definitely live in an Orwellian world.

All cell phone companies in the United States are required be law to create databases for each and every cell phone and these databases are continuously copied by our secret police agencies.

They have continuous computer programs building profiles. for instance, they link to 9-1-1 call locations as the police key coordinates into their databases to active cell phones at or near the coordinate. These cell phones can be tracked forward in time and backtracked backwards in time.

Still, most of the suspicious profiles triggering a real person turn out to be false leads.

Let's say that I am a suspicious character that warrants an agent's attention. The agent can have a back track program run. Last week you and I talked outside the grocery store for five minutes. Since both our cell phones were on. Now, Big Brother is watching you...

And they're making lists...and cause we are discussing this...we're on it!

Total control is being made entirely too easy, in the name of protecting us. Security cameras have resulted in many crimes being solved, but they've also watched the majority of us, who are honest, crime-free and not in need of watching for too long. It's a horrible balance to try - safety or snooping?

Wow! In that context, not much matters!

It makes me wonder about that too.....the government is hiding something. Why else are scientists trying to figure out how to turn one away from the earth? I guesss I am getting a little paranoid..lol. But Revelation does say a 'mountain' falls from the sky into the sea....how else would a 1st century person describe an asteroid?

I never even considered reading a map while driving. It's something to pull off the road for, just like cell phones. If the GPS can have its eye on you, why can't anyone with a little computer skill joinin on that information?

If the CSI shows I watch are accurate, all modern cell phones have GPS in them, so if the government agency has your phone number, it can trace you whenever it wants. Ditto through your car GPS through your registration. And the CCTV cameras are turning up just about everywhere. Yes, it is Big Brother. That's just one of the many reasons I so enjoy living in a semi-rural area, don't have GPS in my car, and don't have a modern cell-phone.

Lash

Hi,:eenie!
I know we're supposed to feel as if we're safer with all these devices in use, but they really creep me out. I still teach Orwell, and everyone else I know does, so I don't really think his work is so obscure. I just can't help thinking of it every time I see those cameras or hear my friends' cars give directions (mine's 23 years old, so it doesn't have any of the new goodies!). That commercial about safeguarding someone's house -- they detect someone in the house, or they think you might have a need for medical care -- just makes me wonder why not call 911 and maintain privacy. I have nothing to hide, but I don't want to be part of an evil machine. There's too much of our personal information out there for anyone to use as they wish. If you doubt it, just check your span file!
XOXO,
Joanne

Jo,
I would never doubt anything you say because I know that you know what you are talking about. I also agree with what you are saying. This internet really scares me lately. I've received a couple emails from so called ebay sellers claiming I needed to do something about something I bought recently. They turned out to be what ebay calls Spoofs. I knew I hadn't bought anything and questioned it with ebay and not responded to their email. Nothing is safe. We have to be very careful.
We are living in an unknown world. I'm afraid it is only going to get worse before it gets better.xoxoxo
leenie

I wish I could agree with you, but it just isn't logical. Remember all the trojams and worms we've all been hit with? If people can hack into our conputers, they can hack into ONSTAR or something similar, too.

Ok...you all are gonna think I lost my mind...but I wonder about stuff like this. What are they NOT telling us? We think we know that GPS cannot be used to track us...but we know they can track you with a cell phone, why not place something in the GPS that tracks us? I just don't trust them to tell us everything. And I have a question...why oh why was it so important to make sure EVERYONE had access to digital TV when they switched over? The government is so worried about saving money..but they were willing to pay for converters for poor people? What's up with that?
Now...we've all seen what the satellites can do....the image of a honey bee on a flower taken from a satellite miles up in the sky...and you really think they're NOT using this technology? Heck....we can spy on our enemies, why not spy on those nasty gun owning, survivalists out in Idaho....and the conservative Christians down in the Bible belt...and the conservative talk show host in California or New York? If they're so scared of us all....to put us on lists...you really think they aren't keeping track of us all?

Some interesting links for your consideration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP-hvPJPTi4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uuWVHT1WUY

http://govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-645

The top link does not work any more, try this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbslm1h8xjl

If you can't get them to work...go to youtube and search Rachael Maddow/Obama and FEMA camps...real strange that I can't get these to work right?

Sorry, RJ, I just don't buy it. You know so much about hackers and all the things they can get into -- it's just logical that they can take over the GPS, too.
By the way, I find it hard to believe there's any hatred in you, curmudgeon that you try to be. Disagree with the current administration all you want, but I just can't see you hating!

Horrifying, isn't it? Makes me want to be a hermit! I have nothing to hide, but I don't invite others into my private life, either. How can we avoid this? I'm not at all sure we can.

yes, it can be. the truth is technology has it's benefits and its drawbacks.

Did you catch the few seconds about micro chips? Can't buy or sell without it? First our livestock....then US.

There are so many eyes on us all, it's just disconcerting, to say the least!

Absolutely. I find anyone who doesn't find it a little bit disconcerting a sort of strange.

The problem with so many of these devices is that we have no choice and no control.

I think unless and until I don't use a GPS device, no one can track me, isn't it?