Surveillance technology? Not yet...
(Thanks to Doc for the link) Tom, of Commonplaces, posts this link to a response to a question he raised about what Macromedia Flash is doing when it asks for access to the PC camera and microphone (which it usually won't since the programmer has to want to communicate with you in real-time). It should temporarily alleviate privacy concerns about Flash:
Now, I am not providing this explanation to say your concerns are unfounded. I think a healthy amount of skepticism about any new and potentially invasive technology is a good thing. But what I can tell you, as a long time Flash developer and one who has developed several apps utilitizing the new camera/mic features of FlashMX/6, Macromedia has gone to extensive lengths to make sure this as safe as possible. They have seen too many other companies get lots of bad pr about security(microsoft) and did not want to follow their lead. MM actually spent their time on this *before* it was released, instead of waiting until people cracked it, then releasing a patch, which is so often the path software companies take.
So, if it is the case that Macromedia Flash is not watching us, why do I say this is a "temporary" solution? Because we're human and we love to find things to worry about. Only continuing solid information will eventually eliminate this specific concern.
There is a much larger issue, though, and that is the U.S. government's intention to monitor every message, every damned bit, flowing over the Internet. Listen to our Attorney General crowing about his carte blanche ability to moniter the Internet:
"The Court of Review's action revolutionizes our ability to investigate terrorists and prosecute terrorist acts," said Ashcroft, who announced steps to put the ruling into effect immediately. He said agents and prosecutors in the field now can work together more closely.
Revolutionizes, indeed. As in abandoning basic civil rights for good. Trashing them. That's the meaning of revolution in a republic that has, until now, treasured personal liberty. This attitude by the Bush Administration toward personal and business communications is a wound in the evolving networked economy that must be closed if we are going to realize the full benefits of all these technologies. They cannot open our lives and business to surreptitious surveillance at the whim of a man who once fought for privacy based on his conservative views, but now, sodden with power, seeks to obliterate it.
Posted by Mitch Ratcliffe at November 26, 2002 10:31 AM | TrackBack
"We're very excited," an FBI official said.