More lovely reading about technology and our future.
I just LOVE the last few sentences...
(Not for the faint of heart, but essential to understand,
if you intend to survive)
Sweet Dreams! NOT.
BHN
Edited to add link.
http://www.uhuh.com/laws/europar3.htm"AN APPRAISAL OF THE TECHNOLOGY OF
POLITICAL CONTROL
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The objectives of this report are fourfold: (i) to provide Members of
the European Parliament with a guide to recent advances in the
technology of political control; (ii) to identify. analyze and
describe the current state of the art of the most salient
developments; (iii) to present members with an account of
current trends, both in Europe and Worldwide; and (iv) to develop
policy recommendations covering regulatory strategies for their
management and future control. The report includes a large
selection of illustrations to provide Members of Parliament with a
good idea of the scope of current technology together with a
representative flavour of what lies on the horizon. The report
contains seven substantive sections, which can be summarised as
follows:
THE ROLE & FUNCTION OF POLITICAL CONTROL
TECHNOLOGIES
This section takes into account the multi-functionality of much of
this technology and its role in yielding an extension of the scope,
efficiency and growth of policing power. It identifies the
continuum of control which stretches from modem law
enforcement to advanced state suppression, the difference
being the level of democratic accountability in the manner in
which such technologies are applied.
RECENT TRENDS & INNOVATIONS
Taking into account the problems of regulation and control and
the potential possessed by some of these technologies to
undermine international human rights legislation, the section
examines recent trends and innovations. This section covers the
trend towards militarisation of the police technologies and the
paramilitarisation of military technologies with an overall
technological and decision drift towards worldwide convergence
of nearly all the technologies of political control. Specific
advances in area denial, identity recognition, surveillance systems
based on neural networks, discreet order vehicles, new arrest and
restraint methods and the emergence of so called 'less lethal
weapons' are presented. The section also looks at a darker side of
technological development including the rise of more powerful
restraint, torture, killing and execution technologies and the role
of privatised enterprises in promoting it.
Questions?
Read this:
http://www.fas.org/spp/eprint/article06.html#ft123Is the picture becoming clear yet?
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
