Figure 1: Ugly as hell. A variety of digital, broadband, Wi-Fi-based audiovisual data collectors. (Source: TheNewAmerican.com.) Who most benefits?
BING’s answer Ai site defines a Surveillance State as:
“A surveillance state is a country that invests in mass surveillance of its own citizens and visitors, using technology and data to monitor and shape their behavior and interests12. A surveillance state may see surveillance as the solution to social issues or threats to its power, and may secretly redefine laws and language to justify its practices34. A surveillance state may also learn from or influence other countries that adopt similar methods of digital authoritarianism5.”
Figure 2: Through the use of spies and informants, the ancient, pagan, authoritarian Egyptian government kept a close eye on both citizens and foreigners, long before the Earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Above is the traditional depiction of the Eye of Horus (the Egyptian god of War.) (Source. FreeClipArt.com.) Is Horus, through the US Government, waging a surveillance war on its citizens? (FreeClipArt.)
Figure 3: Web Designer turned NSA Whistleblower and Fugitive Edward Snowden. Is he a criminal or a patriot? (www.welt.de.)
And a related article, one pertaining to Edward Snowden and his work to expose the US Government’s Surveillance of citizens, as reported in the Guardian reads in part:
“…In its wake, Snowden became caught up in the surge of patriotism that swept the nation. Inspired to play his part, he joined the army, entered the intelligence community, and some 12 years after 9/11 found himself back at the same NSA where he had ground to a halt on that fateful day.
The attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon had brought Snowden deep into the heart of America’s secretive surveillance operations. But in the process it had given him access to highly classified databases that revealed to him a massive secret world, a sort of hidden state-within-the-state that had been created in the wake of 9/11.
Snowden would go on to carry out the largest intelligence leak in the NSA’s history. It would expose one of the great legacies of 9/11 – the rise of the ubiquitous US surveillance state.
“Panic made us politically vulnerable,” Snowden told the Guardian as he ruminated on the upcoming 20th anniversary of 9/11. “That vulnerability was exploited by our own government to entitle itself to radically expanded powers that had for decades been out of reach.”
Snowden said that upon reflection the explosion of domestic spying post-9/11 should have been anticipated. “We should have known what was to come and, looking back at the public record, I think that on an intellectual level many of us did know. But political and media elites relentlessly repeated that the choice here was obvious: a guarantee of life or a certainty of death.”
That teenager on 9/11 is now an exile from his own country, charged under the Espionage Act for having revealed the US government’s mass espionage on its own people. The way he sees it 20 years on, the false claim that expanding state power was necessary to avoid certain death from further terrorist atrocities has led to decades of public indifference.” (Source: ‘Panic made us vulnerable’: how 9/11 made the US surveillance state – and the Americans who fought back | Surveillance | The Guardian).
END QUOTE
Figure 4: The Twin Towers in Flames on 9/11/2001. The US Government greatly increased surveillance activities of all types after this event. So terrifying, but so convenient? (Source: Express & Star.)
Figure 5: RFK Jr expresses concern about the 9/11 Commission Report. Source statement: Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is skeptical about the 9/11 commission’s findings. In this photo, Kennedy Jr. speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month event at Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Sept. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Numerous conspiracy theories challenge the government’s official version of 9/11 events. Flight 93, the attack on the Pentagon, and the collapse of World Trade Center Building #7 are among the most common points of contention. These concerns raise the question: Can Americans ever really trust their government officials again?
Figure 6: Skull & Bones Member and US President George W. Bush: Is he suggesting, “Let’s keep it all between us!” (Blogspot.com.)
The Bush Administration used 9/11 to justify a search for WMDs in Iraq, and finding none, they lied, faked evidence, and attacked Iraq anyway in 2003. They had already pushed or and achieved passage of The Patriot Act of 2001 in October, to increase use of surveillance and “law enforcement” measures such as enhanced powers under the FISA courts, and to keep Americans from being able to do much about any of it. See this article:
“Iraq and weapons of mass destructionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_and_weapons_of...
During the 2002–2003 build-up to war, Ritter [a UN weapons inspector] criticized the Bush administration and maintained that it had provided no credible evidence that Iraq had reconstituted a significant WMD capability. In an interview with Time in September 2002 Ritter said there were attempts to use UNSCOM for spying on Iraq.” End quote.
So, when surveillance fails to provide evidence of crime, go ahead and attack anyway?
Why not, if you have a Patriot Act protecting you? I mean, just think of all the money that the Military Industrial Complex, including the largest bank and investment firms, stood to make off of all that conflict and blood? And just think what they can do now with todays ‘deep fake’ technology?
Figure 7: Iraq ablaze. Well, the US didn’t find a thing between 2001 and 2003 really, so SecState Powell gave a fake presentation at the UN, shaking little vails around, and then, in March 2003, it was “Shock and Awe,” - a concept of mased force going back to Sun Tzu - as Bush’s orders to bomb Iraq are carried out. The US wanted to decapitate Saddam himself, but we settled for reducing Iraq to power, using both conventional bombs and cruise missiles.
Today, with the advance of Ai technology, it’s becoming more difficult for citizens to know when the Mainstream press or government agencies are lying to us by publishing FAKE information via “deep fake” software. Conversely, it is becoming more difficult for the government to know who’s submitting fake information as well. But the government and its media stooges will always have a leg up on high tech and they will leverage that advantage to put out their official bullshit. The following article excerpt provides a glimpse of the danger:
The Future of AI Deepfakes: 3 Real Dangers of This Evolving Technology
BY GARLING WU
PUBLISHED APR 22, 2023
Deepfake technology can be fun to play around with, but its potential for harm is significant. Here's what the future of deepfakes could bring.
Readers like you help support MUO. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.
The tell-tale signs of a deepfake image used to be easy to spot, but generative AI is making us question just about everything we see and hear now. With each new AI model that is released, the tell-tale signs of a fake image are diminishing, and to add to the confusion, you can now create deepfake videos, voice clones of your loved ones, and fabricate fake articles in mere seconds. To avoid being fooled by AI deepfakes, it's worth knowing what kind of dangers they pose. …” End quote. (Source: MUO.com; Make use of.)
Today, even ordinary citizens can “deep fake' others using deep fake Ai software. Of course, detection software (such as Sensity’s) is also available. We just have to know when and how to use it. And we have to hope it keeps up with the deep fake tech as well. And if ordinary folks can do this “faking,” just imagine what the US Government, well known for its surveillance on us and lies to control us, can do!
Of course, the government wants to protect itself from deep fake attacks:
The U.S. government is taking steps to address the risks posed by deepfake technology12. These steps include:
Bing Answers say:
Instructing the Department of Homeland Security to study deepfake creation technology and possible detection and mitigation solutions1.
Requiring the Department of Defense to study the possibility of adversaries creating deepfake content depicting U.S. military personnel or their families and recommend policy changes1.
Introducing bills in both the House and Senate that would criminalize malicious creation and distribution of deepfakes2.
Developing technical and legal tools to manage the risk of harm from deepfakes without stifling innovation or free expression2.
So, the question is, will you be as cautious as the government itself? Protect yourself from surveillance. MUO says:
*How Do I Protect Myself From Deepfake Attacks?
Reduce Your Posts Every time you share something on the internet, it is essentially there forever. ...
Keep Accounts Private If you still want to remain active on social media, consider limiting the reach of your posts. ...
Don’t Trust Everything You See Online Remember, just like people can steal photos and make fake profiles online, Deepfake programs allow scammers to take it a step further. ...
How to Protect Yourself From Deepfake Videos - MUO”
Source: www.makeuseof.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-deepfake-videos/
End quote.
Figure 8: Look at figures closely for complete realism. (Source: phys.org.)
Figure 9: Samples of deep fake videos. Watch very carefully. (Source: Bing/videos. com; YouTube.com.)
Facial blurring is a common sign of deep fakes.
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