Commercial Satellite Surveillance

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fredymac

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So Google bought Skybox. Now they can correlate all they collect about your purchasing/browsing/emailing behavior along with actual tracking imagery. Of course they will need lots more satellites to randomly track anyone but that is only if they need full coverage, realtime data.

At this level of magnification, cars are resolved but not people. However, with cell phone tracking added in you could probably keep tabs on position alone. Bigger telescopes would let you resolve people so it may just be a matter of time. As Google said, "if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCrB1t8MncY
 
"Bigger telescopes would let you resolve people"

Can it tell one bald patch from another?
 
CNH said:
"Bigger telescopes would let you resolve people"

Can it tell one bald patch from another?
Click to expand...


Face recognition from space is probably too expensive even for Google. You would need some form of adaptive optics in addition to a very big telescope to handle the slant range from 30-40 degrees aspect angle. That said, estimating height, weight, and (depending on clothing), sex should be fairly straightforward. Bin Laden found this out the hard way.

On the broader issue of ubiquitous surveillance, I would use the example of my brother who is a slob. Sometimes I use Google Maps to look at his house to see how much crap he has piled into his backyard. Someday, I might be able to watch him as he adds more junk to his stash. I won't be able to recognize his face but I will know it is him. In all likelihood "little people" won't ever have a button that lets them do this. Just as laws regulating camera equipped drones from flying over your backyard are being considered, I would guess there will eventually be others covering these issues. Unfortunately, there seems to be a growing divergence in who gets to ignore them and who goes to jail.
 
We discussed this before and it is mostly baloney. That image is LEO, and 15 seconds tops, and one more 90 minutes later. Big deal.
 
sublight is back said:
We discussed this before and it is mostly baloney. That image is LEO, and 15 seconds tops, and one more 90 minutes later. Big deal.
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Can you clarify "baloney"? That the video (not image) isn't an actual recording taken from satellite? Or that there is no meaningful information that can be derived? Your last point about transit times is valid although the context you are implying is long term surveillance whereas I am thinking more along the lines of behavorial tracking. Eventually, more satellites, and the possibility of bigger telescopes through the development of holographic membrane mirrors may allow persistent observation. In any event, Google is spending money on it so to them is must be some kind of deal big or not.

Right now there is some discussion of police acquiring drones which opens up the issue of aerial surveillance (particularly when using the technology of wide area high resolution sensors). To many people, Google tapping into WiFi nets as their "streetview" car drove along their neighborhood or tracking your movements by cellphone seemed to be comical. Before this becomes "routine", it would be nice to consider the issue of legal guidelines. Perhaps there is a majority who worry it could be a big deal.
 
The worlds first HD video of earth? Bulls#%^.

What can you do meaningful with 15 seconds of full motion vid? Gimmick.
 
sublight is back said:
The worlds first HD video of earth? Bulls#%^.

What can you do meaningful with 15 seconds of full motion vid? Gimmick.
Click to expand...

A sentiment often expressed in history with slightly different words.

I suppose "big deal" is in the eye of the beholder and let it go at that.
 

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