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I’m just an average man with an average life
I work from 9 to 5, hey, hell I pay the price
All I want is to be left alone in my average home
But why do I always feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone and
I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me
And I have no privacy
Oh, oh, oh, I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me
Tell me is it just a dream
I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me
And I have no privacy
Oh, oh, oh, I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me
Tell me is it just a dream*
Those lyrics came to mind when the story of the Raytheon Corporation’s latest development was revealed. Raytheon, a defense contractor and technology innovator, is a U.S. military manufacturer that is selling “RIOT,” a new software surveillance package that reportedly predicts individuals’ expected locations by using technology that mines their data from the social networks sites they use such as Facebook and Twitter. Just what we all need…”Big Brother” up close and personal. Too personal.
Here’s how it works: Rapid Information Overlay Technology (RIOT) software uses your photographs on your social networks. You know those locations settings? Well, the pictures you submit sometimes contain geographic latitude and longitude details; this information is automatically embedded by smartphones. RIOT extracts that information and analyses not only the pictures posted, but also the location where these images were taken — and then, it effectively ‘tattles’ on you by reporting where you go and with whom you communicate.
Feeling comfy yet?
Let’s see… A government military contractor that does business with the Pentagon can now track your every movement… so much for privacy.
Maybe not everyone is watching, but it’s clear that some are. What’s next? Thought crimes?
__________
[*Lyrics from "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell, featuring Michael Jackson]
