Big Brother's job is easier than ever

[c1ue]

I just put up a blog post on this, but try our Veromi.net

first, last name and a city

Between myself and the friend who pointed this out to me - we were able to nail every single person we knew in the first page of results.

Scary.

Combine this apparent scraping of business and property records with social networks - who needs a Stasi style secret police anymore. At least on the bureaucratic record keeping side.

That's true capitalism - having the repressed keep up their own state security records.

[Ghent12]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

I was not able to find any person I knew and gave up after half a dozen attempts. Perhaps they keep no records of people under 30?

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

Just like some of the world's best bleeding edge surveillance technology can be found in casinos to deter folks from changing the odds against the house's favour....the same can be said of the debt collection industry's efforts to collect on behalf of creditors.

I'd hazard a guess this Veromi site is a mashup of databases useful for skip-tracing by debt collectors or stalking your ex.

Personally, I think Facebook is the world's greatest user generated intelligence database in history....instead of the old game of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" it will be "Six Degrees of Suspected Jihadist/Terrorist".

That's today.....and the future is surely filled with even more comprehensive general populace full spectrum behavioral analysis capabilities...which we will probably be pitched to embrace voluntarily and eagerly.

Anyone growing up today and putting their lives online risk being analysed/dissected/compromised/attacked in ways JFK or MLK and their mistresses could never possibly fathom.

[c1ue]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

I was not able to find any person I knew and gave up after half a dozen attempts. Perhaps they keep no records of people under 30?

Veromi appears to work on property and business listings. Rentals may or may not. Credit history definitely a factor - the longest running record I and my friend found was someone who was receiving free credit card offers 20 years ago.

If you've never bought a house or started a business, then it can't see you. Voting is unclear.

So if someone lives with their parents - essentially invisible.

However, trivial to combine Veromi with say tax records to resolve that issue.

[flintlock]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

More from the "Big Brother is watching you department."

http://http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/34/3458.asp

The Michigan State Police have a high-tech mobile forensics device that can be used to extract information from cell phones belonging to motorists stopped for minor traffic violations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan last Wednesday demanded that state officials stop stonewalling freedom of information requests for information on the program.

I'd say more but I'm afraid this is being watched.


I've used sites similar to this Veromi.net for years to check out general contractors and other prospective clients that seem skeevy. At least half the GCs I check out have serious red flags like outstanding liens, etc. Has definitely saved me in some cases. Some were outright criminals. ( no surprise)

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

Well it looks like Apple has just been busted.

Someone has found that with Apples OS4+ it's creating a hidden file with geotagged data without user permission or knowledge.

And it sounds like it can hop from device to device after synching as the devices are updated.

Could be near future device capability related stuff and or a surveillance tool.

Webpage up from the folks that identified it:

http://petewarden.github.com/iPhoneTracker/

[c1ue]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

This isn't new - Apple has always tagged pictures taken via iPhone with GPS locations.

'Free' services like Pandora also clearly access GPS data.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

This isn't new - Apple has always tagged pictures taken via iPhone with GPS locations.

'Free' services like Pandora also clearly access GPS data.

Have a closer look at it.

As I understand it thus goes deeper than just opt/in opt/out geo-tagging of photos.

Everywhere you go and everything you do appears to be geotagged and timestamped with the iPhone OS4+ without user knowledge in a persistent file that when synched to a Mac with other Apple devices being used has the ability to migrate from device to device.

That's the way it's been explained to me.

[nedtheguy]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

redacted

[c1ue]

Re: Big Brother's job is easier than ever

Have a closer look at it.

As I understand it thus goes deeper than just opt/in opt/out geo-tagging of photos.

Everywhere you go and everything you do appears to be geotagged and timestamped with the iPhone OS4+ without user knowledge in a persistent file that when synched to a Mac with other Apple devices being used has the ability to migrate from device to device.

That's the way it's been explained to me.

Don't get me wrong - I know about this file. It is a log of everywhere you've ever gone...or at least where the iPhone/iPad/iPod has gone.

It is extremely intrusive, but then again this is Apple we're talking about - the same company that deigns to sell you its iPhone but says you have no legal right to install software on it without Apple's express written consent.

However, I would note that at least for iPhone - the data in this file is no different than the data in the cell phone carriers' computers. As I've noted before, there are commercial services which allow you to track a cell phone in real time (iPhone or no) simply by providing a phone number via a JSON interface.

Of course, by typing in the details of every person you know, you helped refine the algorithm by letting it know what people are real and where said people now actually live.

Not at all - the Veromi.net data is a teaser to get you to buy info. It doesn't solicit anything from you outside of first name/last name/phone number/city - and you don't have to provide any of them. Nor does it ask you which names which pop up are 'true' associations - unlike say LinkedIn. Unless you buy from them, all they can get from you is what you normally expose in any non-protected browsing situation.

This can be as much as your email, or as little as the IP address of the general area you are in.