Comments on: About an intriguing urban computing assemblage http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/ mind/tech bazar from outer space Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:29:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 By: 7.5th Floor » Blog Archive » Be Counted! Return Your Census! http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-483427 7.5th Floor » Blog Archive » Be Counted! Return Your Census! Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:40:49 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-483427 [...] individuals from anonymized and aggregated sensor data. Similar concerns also raised lately from Google Street View vehicles capturing the streets of Rome (and their face-blurring workaround) or the use of Bluetooth scanning to reveal mobility traces. [...] […] individuals from anonymized and aggregated sensor data. Similar concerns also raised lately from Google Street View vehicles capturing the streets of Rome (and their face-blurring workaround) or the use of Bluetooth scanning to reveal mobility traces. […]

]]> By: r-echos » Blog Archive » About an intriguing urban computing assemblage http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-482379 r-echos » Blog Archive » About an intriguing urban computing assemblage Mon, 02 Jun 2008 07:07:27 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-482379 [...] About an intriguing urban computing assemblage [...] […] About an intriguing urban computing assemblage […]

]]> By: Mark Walle http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-478869 Mark Walle Thu, 15 May 2008 21:54:48 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-478869 Can you imagine this in British cities? There would be quite the opposite effect, with people rushing into the street in order to become "a Google celeb!". Can you imagine this in British cities? There would be quite the opposite effect, with people rushing into the street in order to become “a Google celeb!”.

]]> By: Richard Smith http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-478827 Richard Smith Thu, 15 May 2008 17:51:25 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/05/15/about-an-intriguing-urban-computing-assemblage/#comment-478827 Nicolas, I am glad you posted this. I think one of the most shameful omissions of the CCTV debate is the *social* impact of the devices. It always seems to come down to personal privacy. Well, that's certainly one impact, but that isn't really the significant one. The real significance comes when ordinary people, in their everyday lives, constrain or curtail their activities - just as you've observed and documented here. When we change our *normal* lives in reaction to cameras we are indicating that surveillance isn't just affecting our *criminal* tendencies but it affects *all* of our behaviour. If that is the case, it is reasonable and logical to assume that it will affect our exercise of democratic rights. In other words, our freedom of speech, our freedom of association, our freedom of thought. These are hard-won freedoms and we are allowing them to be eroded by fear-mongering governments and profit-seeking companies. Shouldn't we question whether that is a good idea? Nicolas,

I am glad you posted this. I think one of the most shameful omissions of the CCTV debate is the *social* impact of the devices. It always seems to come down to personal privacy. Well, that’s certainly one impact, but that isn’t really the significant one.

The real significance comes when ordinary people, in their everyday lives, constrain or curtail their activities - just as you’ve observed and documented here. When we change our *normal* lives in reaction to cameras we are indicating that surveillance isn’t just affecting our *criminal* tendencies but it affects *all* of our behaviour.

If that is the case, it is reasonable and logical to assume that it will affect our exercise of democratic rights. In other words, our freedom of speech, our freedom of association, our freedom of thought. These are hard-won freedoms and we are allowing them to be eroded by fear-mongering governments and profit-seeking companies. Shouldn’t we question whether that is a good idea?

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