Vancouver Set to Become Terrorist Photography Haven

Thanks to BoingBoing, I have learned that Vancouver is throwing all caution to the wind and opening themselves up wide for the unspeakable terrorist acts they are now all but supporting with their official stance on public photography:

Vancouver police are not allowed to seize cameras or cell phones from anyone, unless they have consent, a warrant, or the person has been lawfully arrested. Constable Lindsay Houghton tells the Province newspaper the policy has always been there, but it’s now in writing and updated in their official regulations manual.    LINK

Can you imagine the chaos that would erupt in a city like New York if police officers simply allowed people take pictures of anything they could see with their own two eyes?!

Luckily, for the citizens of New York, police officers regularly harass tourists and locals alike for treasonous behavior such as taking pictures while riding the subway or, even worse, of the actual subway cars.

I certainly feel safer in a city where police feel completely entitled to stop anyone they think looks “funny” and force them to turn over not only their cameras and cell phones but makes them empty out their bags and purses just for the right to ride the train.

Could Designer Bag Giveaway Spark Terrorism Panic in NYC

According to PSFK:

Designer Rachel Nasvik will be hiding around 90 handbags in and around the city. The bags will be “left” anywhere from club restrooms, to taxi cabs, to park benches, and are filled with night life staples like bobby pins, condoms, matches, tarot cards, designer accessories, lipgloss, and Thea Grant key chains.

While I am sure this sounded like a really fun idea I have a bad feeling.  You see, if you are one of the lucky folks who rides the NYC subway system, you have certainly seen the posters or heard the announcements regarding unattended bags and the 1984-ish “If you see something, say something” taglines.

I’ve actually been on trains that were delayed or rerouted due to a “suspicious package” in a station. As far as I know, not one single unattended bag has turned out to be a bomb and it is pretty safe to say that while we “see something” unusual every time we get on the train, reports subterrianean terrorists seem to be few and far between.

So, while I find the constant fear-mongering to be tiresome and ineffective, it doesn’t seem like a really bright idea to leave 90 unattended bags across the city.

MPAA Claims Piracy Supports Terrorism and Other Fantasies

There is a new report out sponsored by the MPAA that claims that there is a significant link between film piracy and terrorism and that terrorist groups fund efforts via piracy.

TorrentFreak does a great job debunking this study. The biggest problem they find is that “piracy” is lumped in with “counterfeiting” and they are just not the same thing:

‘Piracy’ in this context tends to refer mostly to digitally representable items, while counterfeit goods can run the gamut from aircraft parts, to cigarettes. In France, you can’t sell certain brands of handbag on eBay easily, because they might be counterfeit. Fake aircraft parts (which don’t meet specs) are a major problem for the airline industry (also counterfeiting) and fake cigarettes are a commonly seized item at international borders. If you want another example, just look no further than your spam folder – count the number of Viagra, and other medications you are offered – all counterfeit.

It is also disheartening to see that the movie industry would still rather fund reactionary, one-sided studies that support their mythical claims than to help develop new business models that will allow them to compete and flourish in the digital age.

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YouTube the New Court of Public Opinion

There is no question that YouTube is THE place for people around the world looking to spread their message through video.  User-generated videos of major news events like the earthquake in China or the protests in Burma have made YouTube the go-to site for the news that doesn’t make it to the mainstream channels.

So, it should come as no surprise that governments are now taking to YouTube to spread their own message.

According to various news reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) created its own YouTube channel carrying videos that include black-and-white aerial footage of attacks on Hamas weapon sites, and clips of Hamas terrorists loading rockets into trucks. (via)

Who knows what effect this will have on global public opinion but it is fascinating to see what has happened now that the power to distribute your message to the world is no longer limited by heavily controlled access to the masses.

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• Israel uses YouTube, Twitter to share its view

The Continued Failure of Our “Police State” Mentality

Cory Doctorow over on BoingBoing points to Bruce Schneier’s latest Guardian column where he discusses just how gob-smackingly stupid it is to have security guards and policemen going around attempting to stop people from taking pictures of things in the name of “national security.”

The problem is:

“The 9/11 terrorists didn’t photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid subway bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh didn’t photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The Unabomber didn’t photograph anything; neither did shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Photographs aren’t being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. The IRA wasn’t known for its photography. Even those manufactured terrorist plots that the US government likes to talk about — the Ft. Dix terrorists, the JFK airport bombers, the Miami 7, the Lackawanna 6 — no photography. ”

In our desire to feel safe we are too often convinced to give up rights and freedoms that end up doing nothing to make us safer and, in fact, open the door for further abuses from within our own government.  Convincing people that taking pictures is a crime is a great way to keep people from snapping off pics of things the government doesn’t want you to see.

Feel Safer Now, Episode 124563 – Eye-in-the-Sky

In yet another ridiculous attempt to make us “feel safer”  BoingBoing is reporting:

“European airlines are prototyping a Panopticon-in-the-sky: cameras trained on every passenger in flight, married to some kind of snake-oil “terrorism detection” software that will be able to tell if the guy in 11J is planning to rush the cockpit.”

Having just finished Cory Doctorow’s awesome book Little Brother (go buy this book NOW!) this is a timely mention of just how far, and how misguided, our war on terror has become.