Category: Privacy and self ownership
Owning our own information and telling Big Brother to get lost
… wait ’til you see SWORD, the weapon-detecting smartphone case, currently available in vaporware. According to its maker’s claims (and we can assume “claims” is the operative word, thank heaven), the SWORD allows its holder to scan a person from up to 40 meters away to detect the presence of a hidden weapon. Not only that, it recognizes faces and compares them against a “watch list.” Apparently if it detects both weapon and facial threat it alerts a “security officer.” No word on whether a mere weapon or mere facial threat alone is sufficient to bring chaos down upon the…
First it’s off to the doctor to get results of last week’s tests. Then I spend the rest of the day repaying a friend for an even bigger favor she did me last year. So I leave you with a few links and will probably have more to say tomorrow. Judge imposes a restraining order on Deerfield, IL. No draconian gun ban — for now. Outcome depends on lawsuits. (Tip o’ hat to M. in comments) Via Borepatch: Why cars with autopilot keep slamming into large stationary objects. They’re designed that way. Maybe there’s hope for a fee-for-privacy online option…