written by Slice of SciFi TV’s Brian Hennessey
I don’t know about you guys but the notion that “big brother is always watching” tends to simultaneously freak me out while evoking visions of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, with a dash of A Clockwork Orange‘s governmental suppression. Kubrick may have been on to something all along.
Sure, it’s no secret that we live in a society where our interconnectivity is leaps and bounds beyond anything the human race has experienced in our brief, seemingly existential existence. And yes, with all of this new technology comes new responsibility, but at what cost?
Smartphone tech-giant Apple has recently gotten the “OK” on a new patent that gives the company as well as the government the ability to remotely turn off recording/picture taking capabilities and cellular communication in locations deemed “sensitive.” Be careful where you protest, kids, there may be a new dystopian culture being prepackaged and streamlined into this year’s hottest new gadget!
Poetically designed in such a way that disguises the true intentions of Apple’s patent:
“This policy enforcement capability is useful for a variety of reasons, including for example to disable noise and/or light emanating from wireless devices (such as at a movie theater), for preventing devices from communicating with other wireless devices (such as in academic settings), and for forcing certain electronic devices to enter ‘sleep mode’ when entering a sensitive area.”
In recent years the consumer market has been inundated with smartphone technology, granting virtually everybody the capacity to become a street journalist. Often capturing some of the most captivating and politically charged video footage ever documented. Giving the majority of the populous the ability to see blatant human rights violations first hand, all over the world, instantly. This documentation has led many to question the motives of the government and the role large corporations play in our lives.
If you think this new era of over-documentation doesn’t scare the hell out of the government, then you may as well just go back to your life of blissful ignorance.
It seems that HAL; oh ahem, I mean the United States Government, is concerned with its citizens capturing and exposing too many of its injustices to the world. Quick, before the crew learns about the true intentions of our clandestine mission, better cut off satellite communication to Earth and kill everyone! I guess all we can do is sit back, wait for the inevitable and hope some anti-government tech geniuses hack the system. Relentlessly.
As a producer here at Slice TV, I can now tell you how you can “stick it to the man.” Capture everything you can, I’m leaking the news that a Slice of SciFi app is about to be announced. In a few days you too will be able to join the revolution and upload your own videos of your deviant behavior directly to Slice of SciFi.
The rebellion is coming soon to a smartphone near you.
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