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Anti-Terror Mode For Phones

1 points by codecamper ↗ HN
Probably many of the victims of the Paris attacks were carrying smartphones with high res cameras and microphones.

Imagine if (by default) phones would switch to automatic monitoring mode when gunshots / explosions are heard. Statistical analysis could show a sudden jump in these sorts of automatic reports.

This seems like a straightforward sort of feature that perhaps may help in reacting to and investigating these sorts of crimes.

Something that Google & Apple should step up and create.

11 comments

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Avalaxy
So every time I'm watching an action movie with my friends, all our phones will think there is a terrorist attack going on at my place?
nautical
chicken egg also ... theaters will be big problem , if you are watching a movie its an issue and if you mark them safe its an issue ... Too much intelligence required to solve it and its a privacy night mare !
Quequau
Yeah. Clearly it's not that the mass surveillance in place in the nations with advanced economies doesn't actually help prevent terrorist attacks. It's that there isn't enough mass surveillance.
veddox
You're absolutely right - a little mass surveillance is a lot of nonsense. For it to be really effective, it has to blanket everything: emails, phone conversations, GPS location, the lot.

But would you want to live in a state like that?

veddox
That would be a privacy nightmare. Where would all that data be sent to? And how could you be sure the phone only triggers when there really is an attack going on? Who would have access to the data? And anyway, isn't it a little late when the attack is already taking place? (I mean, you want to prevent it happening in the first place, don't you?)
codecamper
Oh well.. just a thought. Shot down in flames. :)
ac2u
Don't feel that bad, it's just a case of: just because something is cool doesn't mean that there are not implications that would make it a bad idea.

The techniques themselves may be useful in other domains where there aren't as many privacy implications.

saluki
I think it's a good idea to leverage technology . . . that just might not be the right idea . . .

How about an app you can choose to run if you're in a terrorist/robbery/hostage situation. That will allow the authorities to use your mic and cameras to get a picture of what is going on.

How about using interconnected sensors (around towns/large crowd areas) to detect when a vehicle's weight is abnormally large (car/truck bomb). Then alert authorities to the vehicle.

A type of bomb proof enclosed area you have to walk though to enter a stadium that sniffs for explosives and uses imaging to determine if you are a threat, you could be detained inside if wearing an explosive vest for example or have a gun. This would prevent bombers from being in a crowd when detected.

Keep thinking outside the box.

nocatch
Privacy and security aside, trusting this type of information is very dangerous. Attackers could use this to their advantage by confusing and misleading authorities.
NameNickHN
> investigating these sorts of crimes

Those are not crimes in the usual sense and it's almost always pretty clear who did it. And we know what causes terrorism. Statistical analysis isn't going to help settling political differences.

fabulist
My intuition is that police would prefer hostages behave passively to maximize their odds of survival.

As problem solvers and technologists it's tempting to think we hold the cards, but I think this is an example of problem technology does not do well at. Capabilities for hostages are necessarily capabilities for hostage takers. The reality is if someone is determined to kill many people, they are going to succeed.

Maybe we should focus on making life better for the people still around to enjoy it, and promoting peace and nonviolence in our own communities.