Yesterday, I noted the ubiquity of electronic surveillance by the U.S. government that breezes right by the Constitution’s 4th Amendment requirement for probable cause and warrants. You can pretty much assume your banking transactions and the patterns of your e-mail and phone communications are being tracked and analyzed. But communications aren’t the only target for electronic surveillance. Video surveillance of people in public places is being fed into computers that use facial recognition software for tracking purposes. The social effect of close observation by authority figures is increased conformity. The more intense surveillance becomes in America, the more we can expect Americans to resemble herded cattle in their behavior.
How can this trend of increasingly invasive and constraining surveillance be countered? I’ve been thinking idly about this as I go about my day. One solution is a change in fashion: one way to elude the imposition of facial-recognition software as we move about in public is to bring back the wide-brimmed hat.
I’m only half kidding.
You should print up bumper stickers (while we can still afford to drive) that read: Assume you are being watched, listened to, your e-mail recorded and your cell phone calls tapped. Welcome to the new NEOCON America.
Funny you should mention that… I happen to wear a wide-brimmed hat — year-round, even when it’s cloudy — on account of some medical treatments I’m undergoing that cause my skin to sunburn easier than normal.
I suppose it’s only a matter of time before I start getting dirty/suspicious looks from security guards who think I’m just trying to hide my face from the cameras…
of course, if you always wear the same wide-brimmed hat, it’s not very effective. invest in the most common wide-brimmed hats, and swap periodically.