Act Like You're Under Constant Surveillance

Would your actions be any different if you knew you were under constant surveillance, if every word and deed was being recorded, available for law enforcement or any legal entity to examine?

Well, I've got news: You're already are under surveillance like that. Aside from what the NSA knows, a growing number of the devices that we have brought into our lives, things like automobiles, pacemakers, smart watches, smart phones, televisions, all kinds of computers, etc., are uploading information about our activities to the cloud or recording data that can be used against us.

Data from smart devices is increasingly showing up in court.

An Ohio man claimed he was forced into a hasty window escape when his house caught fire last year. His pacemaker data obtained by police showed otherwise, and he was charged with arson and insurance fraud.

In Pennsylvania, authorities dismissed rape charges after data from a woman's Fitbit contradicted her version of her whereabouts during the 2015 alleged assault.

Vast amounts of data collected from our connected devices -- fitness bands, smart refrigerators, thermostats and automobiles, among others -- are increasingly being used in US legal proceedings to prove or disprove claims by people involved.

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So everything from how fast you were going or whether or not you hit the brakes before you collided with that other car to your location when something went down is being recorded. Your estranged spouse will be able to show that you did indeed spend the night in the vicinity of your lover's house when you were supposedly on a business trip in Poughkeepsie. And officials and lawyers are increasingly aware that this information is there for them to examine.

All of this has to be done with a judge's warrant, of course. But investigators will have no trouble getting that if they can show probable cause. Bleating about privacy will do no good in the face of a serious crime or maleficence.

So be aware, they are watching. Act accordingly.

Ten hours in, and they'd give up on me.

"Gee...all this guy does is work, go home and sleep. Let's go monitor some Trump haters instead."

Ok, so pacemaker monitoring is scary as ****. What we need to do is put serious limits on the powers of the state to gather information from their population. Of course, the courts keep expanding the government reach instead of making sure it stays inside some level of respect for privacy. :/

"This guy's been sitting there crying for almost four hours straight, should we d something?"

Velvet Elvis said:

Ten hours in, and they'd give up on me.

"Gee...all this guy does is work, go home and sleep. Let's go monitor some Trump haters instead."

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um. trump haters do the same...

Henrin said:

Ok, so pacemaker monitoring is scary as ****. What we need to do is put serious limits on the powers of the state to gather information from their population. Of course, the courts keep expanding the government reach instead of making sure it stays inside some level of respect for privacy. :/

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I think people with pacemakers have more to worry about than who's monitoring their devices (which is generally only the manufacturers of the devices, at least in my experience).

nota bene said:

I think people with pacemakers have more to worry about than who's monitoring their devices (which is generally only the manufacturers of the devices, at least in my experience).

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It's still monitoring a device in a persons body, which is frankly scary ****.

It sounds like some of the stuff the article refers to was either obtained by warrant OR was deemed information that the defendant did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy over.

Mr Person said:

It sounds like some of the stuff the article refers to was either obtained by warrant OR was deemed information that the defendant did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy over.

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Should the only exception to something being obtainable by warrant be the reasonable expectation of privacy standard?

And how is information from a device in your person not protected from a warrant?

Well, despite reasonable efforts I believe I am being monitored every time I use the internet.

There is also that NSA telecommunication monitoring system which zeroes in on any phone conversation when key words are used during the conversation...just in case it is a terrorist plot.

NSA warrantless surveillance...in 2008 Congress passed the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which relaxed some of the original FISA court requirements.

During the Obama Administration, the NSA has allegedly continued operating under the new FISA guidelines despite campaign promises to end warrantless wiretapping.[3] However, in April 2009 officials at the United States Department of Justice acknowledged that the NSA had engaged in "overcollection" of domestic communications in excess of the FISA court's authority, but claimed that the acts were unintentional and had since been rectified.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSA_warrantless_surveillance_(2001–07)

That doesn't count business access to communications via the newer cell phone models through all those applications being sold.

So, I think it is fair to say we are probably being monitored on a regular basis by all sorts of entities.

LowDown said:

Would your actions be any different if you knew you were under constant surveillance, if every word and deed was being recorded, available for law enforcement or any legal entity to examine?

Well, I've got news: You're already are under surveillance like that. Aside from what the NSA knows, a growing number of the devices that we have brought into our lives, things like automobiles, pacemakers, smart watches, smart phones, televisions, all kinds of computers, etc., are uploading information about our activities to the cloud or recording data that can be used against us.

Data from smart devices is increasingly showing up in court.



So everything from how fast you were going or whether or not you hit the brakes before you collided with that other car to your location when something went down is being recorded. Your estranged spouse will be able to show that you did indeed spend the night in the vicinity of your lover's house when you were supposedly on a business trip in Poughkeepsie. And officials and lawyers are increasingly aware that this information is there for them to examine.

All of this has to be done with a judge's warrant, of course. But investigators will have no trouble getting that if they can show probable cause. Bleating about privacy will do no good in the face of a serious crime or maleficence.

So be aware, they are watching. Act accordingly.

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I have thought on these lines from time to time,I don’t believe there is a way to be totally private nowadays if you use a computer or cell/smart phone. We should also add in facial recognition, If you travel to the UK or parts of Europe you can’t help but notice all the CCTV cameras.

I do try to minimize my exposer, not that I need to but all the surveillance/data collection rubs me the wrong way. I don’t use cloud storage, private external drives are so inexpensive as are decent encryption programs. I’m not a phone scroller, in fact, I turn off my Wi-Fi and data unless needed. I do the basic diligence with my home computer, clearing history and tracking cookies daily with the exception of a few sites along with running a quality security anti virus program. My pet peeve is the facial recognition stuff, I do not post my likeness on social media and ask my children not to share photos of me, yes, I know It’s probably a waste of time but as I said It rubs me the wrong way.

I assume I am being surveilled by habit. I was a military attaché assigned to embassies for close to two decades. Of course I was surveilled by numerous entities. The most "in your face" ones were the Libyans. There was a car with two Libyan officers assigned to follow me 24 hours a day. They would wait for me outside the embassy and then follow me everywhere I went when I left. And they took turns sleeping as they sat parked outside my house at night. Every time I drove somewhere new and got lost I was afraid they would think I was trying to lose them.

You get used to that kind of surveillance. But I was also 90% sure they were at least monitoring audio inside my house. I found it best just not to think about that, otherwise you couldn't live your life.

As for being surveilled by my own country in my own country? I don't think there is somebody actively surveilling me, but as others have stated, all this technology I use for convenience leaves a trail that can be analyzed at a later date if authorities deem it necessary. There are things most people can do to eliminate or greatly reduce the government's ability to surveil you after the fact like that but it requires giving up many conveniences. Most people won't want to reduce their quality of life to protect themselves from a risk that will most likely never occur. Everyone has to kind their own balance of convenience vs anonymity.

nota bene said:

I think people with pacemakers have more to worry about than who's monitoring their devices (which is generally only the manufacturers of the devices, at least in my experience).

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That is pretty strange. How in the world did they figure out that he didn't jump out of a window from pacemaker data?

LowDown said:

That is pretty strange. How in the world did they figure out that he didn't jump out of a window from pacemaker data?

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I really have no idea what you're referencing here.