Book Review: DUST NET, The Future of Surveillance, Privacy, and Communication

DUST NET, The Future of Surveillance, Privacy, and Communication

by

David Dvorkin

The book is a short discussion about a scary future, as far as surveillance go. It begins with a review of the state of the art, where, governments and corporations had the advantage regarding both control of electronic channels of communication and surveillance of individuals. That’s about to change, the book says. The growing availability of cheap, tiny surveillance devices will usher in a revolution. Already we see it in the use of drones.

Moreover, The United States Air Force is developing drones that will mimic the appearance and behavior of insects, which would have microchips that could eventually make it possible for smart phones to take pictures through walls. Technology is in the making, where equipment can detect such changes, people can cause to wifi. Further, making an image of the body that caused the change is not a big deal. The book goes into further possibilities, like citizens using drones to catch politicians betraying public trust, and governments using the same to spy on each other.

As the book puts in the end, this is not an exciting world. It is, however, the world that is coming. We’d best prepare ourselves for it. We need to think of the ways we can benefit from free, worldwide communication in its future incarnation of the dust net world.

A well written book, and it made me think a lot.

Cryolifestyle?

Our lifestyle has resulted in a violent society. Or, human life is one of violence, except where we succeed in administering peace. Why? What needs to be done?

Randomness – The Essence of Stability

If all the oxygen molecules in a room happen to have their velocity directed to one corner, all those occupying other places in the room are likely to die of hypoxemia. But, it does not happen, thanks to the random nature of molecular movements.

Similarly, everything in this world is progressing like a clock work mechanism because of the random nature of whatever is the entity of relevance. But, all that we humans have been doing since time immemorial, effectively, is destroying randomness.

This perhaps is okay, as far as material things go, if we look from the human angle. Here, it results in the classification and control of various elements of matter and force, which exactly is what is behind the progress, human race is constantly making. And, as long as we are able to deal appropriately with all the undesirables, like waste and emissions, things can go on.

But, will this be okay, if we look from other angles? Surely, when we are dealing with living things, the same practice leads to many questions. The undesirables, in this case, are part of the very same life, which may even be something that is essential. Moreover, a living being can have many facets, both desirable and undesirable to an onlooker, and any of which may appear at random. In such a case, it shall be inappropriate or untimely to accord a label like good or bad.

Additionally, overlooking this, we are going ahead with the practice of encouraging all to strive for the extremes, and strengthen it further by instituting awards and honors at every possible juncture.

A perpetually unstable or violent society is the result.

I therefore think, we need to make a fundamental change to our priorities. From putting greater emphasis on excellence in whatever may be the chosen entity, importance can be accorded to the presence of a wide variety of attributes, including the one that is currently of interest.

Here, this lifestyle is a good fit. 

What is the Future of Our Life

Are we very clear as to what we term as life? I think, to begin with, we need to answer unequivocally, what is life?

What is it, but a process that consist of a set of procedures? Like a clockwork, each of these keep taking place, till it comes to a halt. That may happen due to internal forces or external ones, both caused by internal or external reasons.

Also, what is it, but a set of reactions? Where, we term some reactions, actions, when either those are far removed from the usual, or we are not able to link it instantly to something known.

At any time, we will be appreciating our life, or that of somebody else, as one of the two. Our convenience, or some other parameter of interest, being the prime determinant.

There is one more variable. Each one of us is living, at least two lives. One, the one like every other form of life. And two, the one like no other form of life.

In fact, things like the biological element of life, social living, or other transactions of the intellectual sphere that goes along with it, constitute the life that we share with all forms of life. All of which can boast of all the wherewithal necessary for the successful conduct of its life. Also, whatever takes place with all those forms can be linked to some element of life. And, all fashion its living style to be in agreement with whatever is its broad pattern that gets instituted in the current circumstances. Where, as far as humans go, this will be a modulated one that gels with the prevailing theory and practice in this regard.

In addition, we humans follow quite a few theories and practices that generally deal with topics that are beyond the essential aspects of life. However, these tend to become, rather indispensable features that override everything else. Further, these give rise to festivities, disagreements, and other matters that deviate from the normal, and constitute a distinct element of the human. (Pointing to these elements only, we rate ourselves superior to other forms of life. Isn’t it obvious that we incorporated all these in our lives, exactly for that purpose? Perhaps, spurred by an inferiority complex?)

How do we look at our life? See, appreciation of one’s life always takes a contextual path. When we take life as a process, or a set of reactions, and, when it is about the elements that are shared with all forms of life, or something exclusively human, we reach different spots. To compound this, all the forces that can act on any of the determinants of interest are subject to modulation, at any time and to whatever degree, based on the personal priorities of each. As it is with all that we do, our first act is make an account of all that we experience or infer. Naturally, at any instant, we will be having a rich collection of widely varying definitions or treatises about life.

The most significant effect of the above path is that we happen to be flooded with theories about life, each espousing one or a few of the facets. Whatever be one’s leaning, disposition, or other personal preferences in this regard, no one will feel at a loss. Each of those theories will be dealing with one or a few of the many and varied images, any moving observer shall encounter. We now see our life as in the proverbial instance of a few blind men assessing an elephant.

Now it is clear. As far as life go, we are missing both the forest and the trees. What we see, at best is some part of some trees. And, many definitions and ideas about life shall be floating around, each focusing on a few ‘trees’. Consequentially, the future of life is largely unpredictable, since, each definition of life can point to a different path, and a new end. At any time, predictions for the definition that is in vogue shall rule over all others.

I think, as mentioned earlier, many of the distinct features of our life originated out of an inferiority complex. At present, there is hardly any need for those, human race occupying an incomparable position, one beyond any form of threat. Since we are yet to realize this, we keep celebrating the unfathomable human, for no rhyme or reason. But, situation will change, and we will reach a better idea about life, when we start looking at our life from a different perspective.

If that so, life also may behave like entities that can be represented by, say, a mathematical equation. Where, we have a unique relationship between the LHS and the RHS, and we manipulate only one of it at a time. And, it will suffice, since, our needs, desires, or other feature of interest shall be reflected by the equation.

Can We Blame Copernicus?

Humans, unlike other forms of life, spend a lion’s share of their time, energy, and resources, mainly for housekeeping activities, leaving nothing much for things like futuristic needs. This ‘excess’ housekeeping leads to a violent society. This can’t be a design flaw, and further search points to the huge upheaval that could have been caused by the fall of the geocentric theory. 

How to Make a Better Society

Yes, ours is a violent society. If we fail to find the root cause and act, the culprit may reappear sometime, even if we are taking measures to contain violence, as it is now. We need to attack the root cause.