Fragen? Antworten! Siehe auch: Alternativlos
In late October of 1971 a group of academics and technologists gathered at a conference at Georgetown. They were given the task of devising the most comprehensive (yet invisible) surveillance program imaginable.
Die Aufgabe las sich sogar noch ein bisschen sinistrer:Suppose you were an advisor to the head of the KGB, the Soviet Secret Police. Suppose you are given the assignment of designing a system for the surveillance of all citizens and visitors within the boundaries of the USSR. The system is not to be too obtrusive or obvious. What would be your decision?
Aber so pervers waren die Forscher damals nicht, darauf zu kommen, dass jeder mit einem Peilsender in der Tasche rumlaufen würde, wie das ja heute so ist. Nein. Hier war die Idee, die die Forscher ausgearbeitet haben damals:Let’s look at one way it might work. Say you are about to buy a book. You present your card (sometimes called a “debit card”, although National Americard calls theirs an “asset card”) to a clerk who puts it into a terminal which reads it and then calls up your bank. If you have enough money in your account, or if your bank is willing to grant you that much credit, the transaction is okayed; your account is debited; and a credit is dispatched form you bank to the book store’s bank account.
Man stelle sich mal vor, was die Sowjets mit so einer Datenbasis für großartige Planwirtschaft betreiben könnten! (Danke, Peter)