Sherri Davidoff of philosecurity.org gave a presentation at Defcon this year on how much people are being tracked in their lives.
What a wonderful presentation. Makes me sad and despressed, but damn, what can I do?
Download PDF of her presentation. Or read the full blog post here
Abstract:
Worldwide, people who use cars, buses, trains, and carry cell phones are tracked in increasingly centralized corporate and government databases. This capability is still in its infancy, and has been facilitated by communication and payment systems which are linked to identification and refer to centralized electronic databases.
Mass tracking and surveillance capabilities have arisen organically, often as side effects of new technologies, and are being increasingly leveraged by government and law enforcement in the name of national security. For security purposes, the public is generally not provided with detailed information about the management and use of mass surveillance systems.
As a result, relatively small groups are able to track and control the movements of average citizens around the world, every minute of every day. These systems are opaque, not well documented, publicized or regulated.
The purpose of this presentation is to:
* Collate and disseminate information about current known travel monitoring practices;
* Discuss technical and social solutions for maintaining personal privacy and the freedom to assemble;
* Encourage greater transparency and public control over data collection and use.
