Hong Kong coronavirus quarantine evaders collared by cops with the help of smartphone-tracking tech Hong Kong says it used a "government electronic monitoring system" to nab potential novel coronavirus carriers who flouted quarantine regulations. By monitoring system, it most likely means its wristband-based smartphone-tracking technology. A late Tuesday announcement from the Special Administrative Region's government stated …
Ah yes, and fuck those who do get seriously ill, including healthcare workers who don't have a choice but to be in harm's way? And fuck those who die and their families, is that it? Not to mention the overwhelmed healthcare facilities. Lovely attitude. Eugenicist, are you? Let the strong survive (maybe), screw everyone else?
So far about 18-20,000 deaths (again, depending on whose numbers and how up-to-date they are). That's so far, and rates are increasing, not decreasing, except in areas that have actually taken adequate measures (so, China and Italy, apparently, but not the USA or many parts of Canada yet).
https://virusncov.com/
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
"Not the Stand" isn't exactly a measure that should be used, unless one is a patron member of the VHEM/VHEMT.
What are you getting all huffy about? Your rant accurately describes the foolish babblings of Tejano Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. And also seems to accurately describe the motivations behind the Douchebag-In-Chief himself. (Although I do believe Cheetolini's motivation stems more from his portfolio. Still, his xenophobia does indicate eugenicist tendencies.)
You chose your handle well, Grasshopper
never ceases to amaze me just how invasive we have allowed tech to become
I DO realise that we probably walked into this with our eyes open, but seriously, this is going down rabbit holes that GO could NEVER, in his deepest, darkest moments have envisioned,
Do seem to recall in relation to GO, that although he may have foreseen the overwatch society that we now live in, it is highly unlikely he would have believed we would buy the bloody cameras ourselves .....................
The HK Government has now admitted that the wristband and app does not work as advertised. “If the person only left their place without their phone, there is no signal from the band [triggered],” Lam (Gov. CIO) said. The only point in using the wristband, Lam added, was that a separate smartphone app, which has location-sharing functions, would randomly request scanning of a QR code from the band.
I guess they haven't considered the possibilities of copying the QR code?
Quite apart from its usefulness in the present crisis, implanting RFID devices in everybody could be of great help in identifying dead bodies that would otherwise be classed as John Doe. Of course, as it's only a short range technology, it couldn't be used for mass surveillance (yet!). I have one implanted in my right wrist, for access to my front door and my car, but that was for my own purposes, not for ID.
In my jacket pocket, on my key ring. Obviously, I wouldn't rely solely on the electronic locks, but it is so much more convenient to just reach out for the handle and know that it's going to be unlocked (the front door lock takes about a second to respond, but the car is instantaneous) than fumbling around in the dark and pouring rain to find the right key on a bunch of about ten, including some supermarket loyalty fobs and similar. If the technology is available and adds to the convenience, then why not use it?
Why the profanity? It's 1994 model, heavily modified and runs on LPG, so it's green. It should have been my Classic, just for shows, etc., but the failure of the ECU on my modern car has forced me to use it as my daily driver, until I can afford a new ECU for the shopping trolley.
PS, regarding the comment about surgery, no surgery involved, just a needle, similar to having a blood test but putting something in instead of taking something (vital) out.
Yeah and then I walk past you and clone your chip without your knowledge. Now I can steal your car and enter your home.
Just memorize the positions of your keys, and store your loyalty barcodes in your phone to reduce bloat.
I have enough keys for about 20 doors and I can easily pick whichever I need in the dark. Oh the things school never teaches you.
"Of course, as it's only a short range technology, it couldn't be used for mass surveillance (yet!)."
Don't just guess about that. It depends where you are, but if you live in a sufficiently built-up area, it wouldn't be that hard to put a bunch of long-range readers around. Expensive, yes, but if we're dealing with surveillance services, they have plenty of cash and no oversight. You remember the people who started looking for contactless payment methods with RFID scanners? Imagine something that works at that range on every building at street level and everywhere there is a WiFi access point indoors. Miss a couple as you walk down the hall and they'll still find you before you get to the stairwell. The physical tag that identifies a person being embedded into or attached to them is rightly the stuff of dystopian literature. Let's keep it there.
"if you live in a sufficiently built-up area"
I don't, I live in a small village in the Welsh Marches. There is an infra-red detector across the end of my drive, by the road gate, so if anyone comes onto my property, I'll know about it and they'll be on camera. Only trouble is, the local wildlife tend to set it off occasionally, last week it was a fox at 3AM. Must decrease the sensitivity so I get fewer false positives.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
