Article 6EY2Q Time To Stuff Surveillance Gear In Your Pants

Time To Stuff Surveillance Gear In Your Pants

by
janrinok
from SoylentNews on (#6EY2Q)

DannyB writes:

Intelligence Community Feels It Might Be Time To Start Stuffing Surveillance Gear Into People's Pants

Who among us has not considered shoving a camera into our underwear... but for the greater good... on the public's dime? No need to raise your hands. We already know where they are.

The only thing better than lots of surveillance is even more surveillance. That's the unofficial tagline of the Intelligence Community, [ . . . . ]

The US intelligence community has invested $22 million in a project called SMART ePants, which aims to produce underwear and other garments that help the wearer conduct surveillance operations. Though fully washable, each garment is expected to contain audio, video, and geolocation recording devices.

Yes, they actually called it "SMART ePANTS." And that's not the only acronym in play here. [ . . . . ]

The Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems (SMART ePANTS) program represents the largest single investment to develop Active Smart Textiles (AST) that feel, move, and function like any garment. Resulting innovations stand to provide the Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies with durable, ready-to-wear clothing that can record audio, video, and geolocation data. This eTextile technology could also assist personnel and first responders in dangerous, high-stress environments, such as crime scenes and arms control inspections without impeding their ability to swiftly and safely operate.

[...] it may be useful for agencies to track employees during their interactions in "dangerous, high-stress environments," it seems far more useful for these agencies to have always-on surveillance gear that doesn't make it immediately apparent to the surveillance targets that they're being surveilled.

[...] let's stop pretending this is about "first responders, [...] It's not like these people have been crying out for more passive surveillance options, much less wearable tracking devices with cameras attached. The addition of the phrase "first responders" is supposed to soften the harder edges of the proposed $22 million, always-literally-on surveillance gear [...]

On the bright side, this has important secondary applications such as sending you alerts that you should change your underwear in a few days.

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