Google a Threat to National Security?
There was a big story not so long ago, about how Google was safeguarding privacy by not sharing all it’s information with the government. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you might have noticed the government destroying civil liberties enhancing national security by sipping from the online teacup of personal information. Hey, whatever. I’m down for raging against the machine when everyone else is- but I can’t do it alone. In the meantime, luckily, I have nothing to hide so I just post sarcastic quips about freedom.
In the real world, where orcs and night elves are really the weird people who cut me off on my ever dangerous commute, there are somewhat more rationalized rules toted by security enthusiasts. I’m guessing the port authority, in this case, to support my point: I live in NY and work in NJ, so every day I notice the signs all over the bridges I cross warning me, NO CAMERAS! NO PHOTOGRAPHY! I drive reasonably fast, so the signs might also mention purging the memory of the bridge altogether. Good news for terrorists though- Google Street View has you all set.
When I saw Street View privacy issues and resolutions for cats and people on digg, techcrunch, and all those fancy feeds I’m sucking up, I immediately looked up my address, if only to know if there was a street view of my dog pooping. (Sometimes, when no one’s looking, I let him drop a bomb and run away without curbing. I know it’s wrong, but let’s stay focused here.) Luckily, no ‘Street View’ of me, my dog, or any of the streets in my neighborhood- save for a couple close landmarks: the bridges! I could come up with a clever way of pointing this out, but let’s just be frank: WTF? Posting pictures of bridges with signs all over them that say no pictures?!
Am I the only one noting the irony in this? No. And to be fair, I wouldn’t care even enough to blog this if it wasn’t for all the hypocrisy here. I like taking pictures, and bridges can make really nice lookin’s in photos. So I say this: either Google and me can have our bridge photos, or neither of us can. Step up, US government. It’s not like you’re doing anything productive about the war.
Filed under: Society
Well, they are just trying to make NY a safer place. Then again, those bridges haven’t changed much. With all the photographs taken since the 20s, their bans are just as overkill and useless as assault weapons in the middle of Penn Station.
So in addition to banning photographs, they should purge all copies of those old stale photographs like Ebbet’s shot of some low-class laborers having lunch during the Empire State construction. Is our safety worth a grainy overexposed shot of some people who never won American Idol? I think not. Burn any photographs Steiglitz or Bresson ever shot in the city, for sure.
Then we need some sort of plan where photographers are registered and IDed and need a permit to use that terrorist tool. Oh wait, they’re already doing that? Maybe we can relax now.